White Daffodils
by Lord Purple Heart
Summary: William Macbeth had returned to Hellsalem's Lot for a single reason: Mary. While hoping for a miracle, the young blonde boy encounters someone that could be the key to making that miracle a reality. Unable to let go of his guilt, William puts himself on the line to bring his sister back and do right by the kind Tortoise Knight that promised to lead her by the hand.
1. Chapter 1

**White Daffodils**

 **Chapter 1: Astie**

"Hey, new kid! Three cappuccinos, two BLTs, and an order of Steak and Fries! On the double!"

The diner was filled with the sound of a busy workday; every seat and booth in the whole eatery was packed with a different sort of individual. Some held their mugs with tentacles, others with however many digits they had on whatever limb they chose to hold it with. One table was filled with a rowdy lot of insect-like creatures that were complaining about their workload at Hellsalem's Lot's most prestigious call center. Another table sat two regular young human adults, trying to finish their bacon and scrambled eggs while ignoring the smell in the air that was the inevitable result of having more than fifteen different species of sentient beings occupy the given space around you.

In the thick of it all was one young blonde boy who wasn't fazed in the least by what he was hearing and doing. If anything, the only thing on his mind was the orders that had just been yelled into his ears by the diners' capable, reliable head: Vivian.

"Yes, ma'am!" The boy replied, quickly disappearing into the kitchen with a stack of dirty plates in one hand and an impressive pyramid of glassware delicately perched on his other one. He emerged a few seconds later, looking none the worse for wear save for a few questionable stains on his apron that didn't seem like they had come from the food.

"Hey, lady! I want two orders of the house special, on the double! Do it quick or you're not getting your tip!" A loud, rowdy gruff arose amongst the throng of voices from the seats lined up in front of the counter. On the second-to-the-last stool was a large, muscular figure with four arms that were about as swollen as a number of water balloons filled to the max and then tied together.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Vivian didn't bother to pay her noisy customer any substantial attention and just stared at her latest, greatest employee while frying a burger as he delivered order after order with the most enthusiasm she's seen since meeting one of her most frequent regulars. A faint smile beset her lips as she saw his face, and then winced slightly when she saw him narrowly evade a stray piece of saliva from a customer that sizzled when it struck the ground instead.

 _It's a shame that he's in such a bad financial situation. He seems like a nice kid._ She thought to herself in pity before returning to flipping the burger in front of her.

Just then, the bell at the front door chimed.

"Hey, Miss Vivian!" A familiar voice called out, one that sounded far more human than the rest of the customers currently at the diner.

Vivian smiled, her eyes on one of her favorite regulars entering through the front door. "Oh, Leo!" She replied. "I was wondering where you were! You're late for lunch! And I told you to just call me Vivian! Drop the Miss, it makes me feel old!"

Leo laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, sorry. I would have gotten here sooner but Zapp-"

Cut off by a sudden impact that sent his head into the tiles, Leo could do nothing but let out a squeal of pain. The sound of his forehead smashing into the floor was louder than him, leading to a micro-squeal that could be mistaken for the kind of sound a mouse would make if it were lightly punched in the stomach repeatedly.

"Huh?! Are you saying that it was my fault we're late?! You're even lucky I decided to take you along on my scooter, pube-head!" Zapp clicked his tongue, an irked expression on his face. "I wasted around twenty bucks' worth of cash just to take you here, so be grateful. You're lucky I didn't just leave you on the sidewalk earlier!"

Leo sprung up back to life, the blood that was slowly but surely trickling down from somewhere on his scalp seemingly not a concern in his eyes. "We would have gotten here sooner if you'd just stopped trying to hit on that girl in the car! You didn't even get her number, so don't take your anger and self-disappointment out on me!"

"What was that?! You wanna go?!"

"Oh, you wanna go?! Is that it?!"

Vivian just sighed, scratching her hair. "You'll break up my diner again if you start a fight now, and that's the last thing I need. Can you just take your seat, Leo? I'll have your lunch ready for you in a moment."

Without pause, Leo snapped away from his in-each-other's-face confrontation with Zapp and replied courteously, "Ah, thank you, Miss Vivian!" He glanced back at Zapp and sighed. "Come on, sit down. At least have lunch before we go back. You don't wanna start a fight with Chain on an empty stomach."

"You sure know how to run your mouth." Zapp stuck his tongue out and sat down on one of the empty bar chairs in a huff, taking a cigarette and bringing his lighter to the end.

His cigarette suddenly floated out of his mouth and into the air like it was suspended by a string, and Zapp took several seconds to register that something wasn't right. He stared at the floating cigarette for three whole seconds before realizing that it wasn't in his mouth anymore. Unfortunately, he had lit the cigarette lighter one second before that realization.

The cigarette slowly floated into the blonde boy's hand, who took it into his fist and put it into his apron pocket. "No smoking in here. You should know that by now, Zapp." He said, muttering and ignoring Zapp's cries of pain as he smothered his burnt lower lip with his ice-cold glass of water.

"Ah, Black!" Leo waved a hand when he recognized his friend. "Good morning!"

"As polite as ever, aren't you, Leo?" Black grinned, waving his hand up and approaching Leo. The two shared a casual high-five. "How've you been? You seem fine, considering everything you do."

Leo scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Nah, it's just the usual. Everyone's still doing their thing, so I always manage to escape danger by the skin of my teeth." His expression then became one of mixed concern. "What about you, Black? You're living on your own, right? How're your finances? Are you meeting your rent?"

Black's smile became a forced one, and it was obvious. "Well…let's just say that-"

"He's living in the back." Vivian interrupted, placing three plates down in front of Leo. One of them was occupied by a giant steak with mashed potatoes, the second with cheese-and-bacon crinkle-cut French fries, and the last one with a quarter-pounder with lots of cheese. "He's got nowhere to go and he's not gonna pay rent on the pay I give him, so he's living in the diner for now." Vivian left briefly, only to return with a few cans of Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke. She placed those cans down next to Leo.

"You should've told me, Black! I could just clean my place and we could share my dorm for now!" Leo said in a worried tone. "I don't mind footing the rent for a while until you work out your income, you know?"

Black just gave Leo an iffy look. "I knew you were going to say that. Leo, I don't really feel comfortable doing that to my friend when he's already got rent that he hasn't paid in two months. I'm pretty sure that your landlady would have kicked you out by now if you weren't doing her favors."

"Don't remind me." Leo pouted, and then glanced at the plates. Belatedly realizing what was in front of him, he let out a cry of exhilaration and stood up. "Wait, what is this?! Miss Vivian, this isn't my usual-!"

"It's on the house," Vivian replied, winking. "Black told me all about what you did for him and his sister, and the line of work you do. You're way more amazing than I first expected you to be, Leo! At the very least, you don't deserve to go hungry! Just come on down when you feel like grabbing some grub! This papa's girl's gonna serve you her finest!"

"Well, uh…" Leo sat down on the bar stool, looking embarrassed. "…I don't really know if I deserve any of this. I mean, Klaus, Chain, Zapp, and the others really did most of the-"

Black just sighed, cut a forkful of the steak in an instant and shoved it into Leo's mouth before he could continue. "And again with that, Leo. It's about time you stopped being so modest. You saved my life and you've been contributing to your workplace more than you realize. Without your help, Klaus wouldn't be able to seal away Blood Breeds the way he does. And besides," Black dusted off his apron and placed his hands on his waist. "I don't want to hear that from the man who saved my sister! Just say thanks for the food and eat up!"

Leo, at a loss for words, took a few seconds before he simply smiled. "…well, then I guess I should. Thanks, Black. Thanks, Miss Vivian. It really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, no problem. Sheesh, I wish all of my guests were as nice and polite as you, Leo." Vivian replied, grinning. "If they were, my job would be so much easier. Oh, and I'm sorry about your girlfriend, Leo. She seemed like a nice girl, according to her brother here."

"Sh-sh-sh-she wasn't my girlfriend!"

Zapp, cutting in from out of nowhere, immediately grabbed a handful of Leo's fries and threw them into his mouth with a sour look. "If you bozos are just going to ignore me after that kid burned my lower lip, then the least I'm gonna do is take your fries!"

Leo protested immediately, shifting the plates far away from Zapp and blocking Zapp's arms from reaching past him. "No way! This is Miss Vivian's gift to me! I'm not gonna let you take this one, Zapp! Not on your life!"

"Zapp!" Vivan called out from her spot near the register, counting bills and not looking at either of them. "If I see you eating his food one more time, I'm gonna put it all on your tab and put wanted posters out on the front of my diner."

Black just sighed, smiled and walked behind the counter. "Miss Vivian, I'm gonna go on break for a bit," he called out. Without waiting for a reply, Black removed his apron and walked into the kitchen where the crew was busily cooking the orders that were coming in left and right.

The kitchen was surprisingly small despite the hustle and bustle that the cooks had to deal with during the lunch rush. Ovens, stoves, and fryers were lined up with men and women of varying ages attending to them with different levels of prowess. Some were old men and seasoned cooks, friends of Vivan's father. Others were of the same age as Vivian, with eyebags that were clearly the result of trying to stay alive in Hellsalem's Lot. One young lady had bandages wrapped around her left forearm and her forehead, reminiscent of the way Leo usually looked whenever he finished a mission with Libra. Another young man had a painful-looking black eye that he couldn't see out of, which led to the various accidents involved with the kitchen knives and meat tenderizer earlier this morning that were the cause for his bandaged fingers.

"Ah, Black!" One of them, a sprightly middle-aged man with a mostly-black mustache specked with grey and white hairs, said whilst frying some bacon. "You on break already? Good, you've been working until three in the afternoon too often lately! You should leave it to us more often, kid!"

Black simply nodded in acknowledgment of his colleague before disappearing into the other rooms. He made a beeline straight for the comfort room and slammed the bathroom door shut, enough to make a few cooks glance in the direction of the bathroom. The clearly distinguishable click of the door's locks being turned sounded off. A few seconds of silence ensued, to which the cooks just shrugged and went back to their business.

"…uh, is he okay, Marie?" The middle-aged man asked, glancing at one of the waiters that had just come back from the floor through the double doors. "He doesn't look that good. Maybe he's been overdoing it too much."

"Who knows, Jack? This place is stressful. Maybe he just needs to take a crap." The young woman replied, scowling and pointing a finger back at her conversation partner. "Never mind that! Where's the order for Table 7?! They followed it up and if we don't bring it to their table in five minutes flat, they're gonna start wrecking the place!"

"S-sorry! I'll get right on it!"

* * *

 _It was my fault._

Black stared at himself in the mirror.

The blonde was standing in front of the bathroom sink, his fingers gripping the slippery white porcelain-like he was dangling off a cliff. His eyes were dead set on his eyes in the mirror, his lips contorted into a mix of a frown and a grimace. His eyebrows knit and he clicked his tongue.

 _It was my fault that White's gone. I can't change that. I can't erase that. It's a fact._

Black felt his lips tighten, his mind's eye bringing back the image of Leo's bashful face from moments earlier. The sight of it only made Black's chest tighten with guilt.

 _It was my fault._

 _I know, Leo._

 _I know that you probably liked my sister._

 _I know you liked White._

 _You're not the type to talk about it._

 _I know you well enough by now. You're just the type to keep it inside and never say it. You'd never show it. You'd just care about her and protect her and be there for her…but you'd never say it._

 _Maybe you're not even aware of your own feelings for White, but I am._

Black resisted the urge to punch the glass. He wanted to punch the glass, he wanted to punch the image of himself that he was staring eye-to-eye with. Even if he knew he shouldn't, even if he knew that things weren't really his fault, even if he knew that there was no changing the fact that his sister was gone, he wanted to.

He really wanted to.

 _I know._

 _When the King of Despair and I shared bodies, I could still hear you. I could still hear the things you said. When I held White in my arms for the last time and let the remainder of her life force flow into me before becoming one with the barrier that holds Hellsalem's Lot together, I could see her life flash before my eyes._

 _Not mine. Hers._

Images of White's memories came flashing back to Black again, and he bit his lip out of self-loathing as he unintentionally sifted through those images with a mix of love and pain. Quite a number of them were pictures of the books that she had been reading in the hospital. A few more were pictures of the hospital room she called home, the view of the city outside her personal window, and the graveyard that no one save for her usually visited.

But the majority of the pictures in his mind were none of those. The ones that surfaced to the forefront of White's memories were of a single theme.

Leo.

Leo's camera. Sonic, the monkey that Leo always brought around.

Leo's pictures. Some landscapes, some portraits. Some of them together.

Leo's face as he would tell her stories of Libra; about the friends and colleagues he was always around, about the dangerous things that he had to do, about the various times that he had been mugged. An image of him showing the secret pockets in his shoes, jacket, and undershirt that he had devised so that he wouldn't lose the money that he was saving to send back to his little sister, Michella.

Leo's warmth as she embraced him from behind while they snuck out of the hospital on Leo's scooter to watch a movie.

Leo.

If it could be put into numbers, about 90% of the images that existed from White's memories weren't her childhood, her time with Black, the time that William and The King of Despair had become one body, the time that Black had accidentally destroyed the mud ball that she had made when they were kids, or even her parents.

That 90% belonged to Leo and Leo alone.

 _White loved to take pictures. She'd take pictures of everything. But I've never seen so many pictures of one person before._

Black's thoughts swirled around him as a tornado of guilt. Within the eye of the storm was Black's newfound resolve.

 _Leo._

 _I'm pretty sure White liked you too._

 _And that's why I'm here in Hellsalem's Lot, the place where miracles could happen._

Black stared at the mirror dead-on and bumped his fist against it, the cool touch of the glass against his knuckles. His expression was determined and grim. "…I swear, Leo. Whatever the cost, I'll do right by you. My sister deserves to be with her knight, even if it's just for a moment. There were so many things that you didn't get to say or do with White that you deserved to do together. I swear that I'll bring her back, no matter what it takes."

"Hey, Black! You done with the bathroom yet?! I need to take a leak and you've been in there for ages! You're not doing _anything else_ in there, are you?!" The voice's tone grew more suggestive and teasing, but still carrying impatience and irritation. "If you are, then clean up and get out!"

"I'm not doing anything of the sort!"

* * *

"Klaus."

A tall, muscular man with scarlet-brown turned his attention to the well-dressed, aged man that was standing off to his side. The only thing that offset the older fellow's otherwise formal attire was the array of bandages that wrapped around his face. The butler of Libra took a step further into the light, as his entire body was robed in the shadows of the window blinds.

"What is it, Gilbert?" Klaus replied, gesturing to the still piping hot cup of tea that was sitting on the desk next to some stacks of paperwork. "Don't worry, your tea today is as fine as it always is. I'm just a little preoccupied with some paperwork. We have to arrange for the next delivery of supplies, and soon. Otherwise, Libra will be caught at a disadvantage when we have to mobilize again."

"And that is exactly the issue, sir," Gilbert replied, bowing slightly with a slightly crinkled brow. "According to some information that I have just gleaned from Sir Abrams, we have an unknown entity on the move. Most likely a Blood Breed."

Klaus, now more alarmed, rose to his feet. "I see. We need to dispatch our usual vampire hunters. I will go and call K.K at once, and then-"

Gilbert took a step towards Klaus and shook his head. "Sir Klaus, I'm afraid I would have to advise against a course of action geared towards violence for now. You see, sir, the entity that is currently on our radar is reportedly far more dangerous than we make her out to be. She's powerful enough that she doesn't feel the need to conceal herself within Hellsalem's Lot. That's why Abrams was able to tell that she was dangerous even without the assistance of special help such as Sir Leonardo's All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods."

"Walking around in broad daylight, you say?" Klaus furrowed his brows, doubtful. "What could she possibly have to gain from doing nothing?"

"Abrams has already called in Chain to perform reconnaissance and monitoring on the Elder Blood Breed. According to the information that I'm being streamed from the pair, she is currently partaking in lunch at a diner downtown." Gilbert took a step back and returned to his original position nearer the curtains. "She seems to want to cause no harm. Apparently, she's sightseeing."

Klaus remained standing, still unconvinced. "Hmm…if she's as dangerous as you say, then we need to ensure that we have eyes on her at all times. Where are K.K and Steven?"

"Miss K.K and Sir Steven are currently en route to the scene to gather more information on the subject. If this Elder Blood Breed is truly as dangerous as the information indicates, then I'm sure that those two would be able to provide some substantial information and shed light on this mysterious being's identity."

"Mm." Klaus nodded in agreement. He reached into his pocket and, quickly dialing in a number on the cell phone he had pulled out, placed it into his ear. "…Zapp? Can you hear me?"

A slightly muffled response came out from the other end of the line. "Yeah, boss?"

"There's an Elder Blood Breed on the move. We need all of our personnel to report to the office so that we can assess the matter. Please hurry from where you are. We cannot afford to waste any time."

"Sure thing, boss," was the only thing before the call was ended.

Klaus then turned to Gilbert. "Please alert Zapp of the current situation. Also, call Patrick and Neyka to the office immediately. I need to brief them and discuss our current supplies. We may not be ready to deal with a foe of this magnitude."

"As you wish, Sir."

* * *

"Thanks again, Miss Vivian!" Leo sighed gratefully, patting his distended belly. "I haven't eaten like that since coming to Hellsalem's Lot!"

Vivian just grinned and slid a cup of coffee over to Leo from the opposite end of the counter; Leo managed to catch it before it slid off of the edge. "No problem, hero!" she replied, flashing a thumbs-up towards the young man. "I also fed your monkey, so be sure to take him with you when you go. He's still hungry, though. See? He's swiping food from that nice lady over there."

"Sonic?"

Leo turned in the direction that Vivian was pointing and saw that his constant companion was happily nibbling on the remains of a hamburger that was being held out to him. The person that was holding it was a young woman with a gentle smile that was crouching and patting the Sonic Speed Monkey. The young woman looked completely human and had elegant, long raven-black hair that descended to her waist. She was wearing a one-piece white dress with what appeared to be a black necklace.

 _I've never seen her here before. Is she a new customer? Maybe she's new to Hellsalem's Lot._ Leo thought as he walked over to the lady.

Upon his approach, the woman noticed him and stood up to meet his eye level. Her gentle smile did not waver, and Leo noticed her amber-brown eyes. "Is this your pet?"

 _Wow, she's pretty._ Leo couldn't help but think that, so struck he was with her appearance. He nearly gulped down saliva as the lady drew back a few stray hairs that were dangling from her ears and sticking to her cheeks. "N-not really. H-he's my f-friend, you could say…um…"

The girl's only response was to giggle, and she cupped her lips with her hands. She looked at Leo, tilting her head slightly as if curious. Her smile grew a few centimeters, now more playful instead of gentle. "You don't really talk to girls, do you?"

Leo, unsure of how to reply, just laughed nervously. "W-well…no, not really."

She giggled again and stretched a hand out as a gesture of a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Leonardo Watch. My name's too long, so you can just call me Astie."

Leo smiled and reached out, and he shook her hand gently. "Hi, Astie. It's nice to meet you."

"Leo! Stop flirting and get over here!" Zapp shouted from the door, kicking it open and very nearly sending it into the face of a passerby. "The boss is calling! We gotta get back!"

"Seems your colleague's calling," Astie replied, glancing at Zapp. She took a step to the side for Leo to pass. "See you around, Leonardo Watch."

"See ya! Come on, Sonic!" Leo ran towards the door, Sonic zipping onto his shoulder in a record time that would make Usain Bolt cry. The door closed unceremoniously after that, the sound of the bell ringing faintly amongst the sound of the boisterous chitchat of the diner's clientele.

Astie walked over to the chair where Leo was sitting and sat down on it. Leaning her chin on her left hand, she raised her right hand up. "Is this how you do it…?" She muttered to herself, self-examining her arm as if wondering if she was doing the gesture wrong. "Excuse me! I would like to order!"

Vivian, noticing the lady, walked over to her and pulled out a notepad and pen from her breast pocket. "Gotcha, whaddaya want? We have a new item courtesy of yours truly: The Limited-Time Vivian Special Triple-Layer Burger! Wanna give that a try?!"

Astie's eyes lit up with curiosity and joy. "That sounds interesting! Very well then! I shall have one of those!"

"Alright! Oh, Black! Just in time!" The blonde boy, upon hearing his name being called as he was exiting the kitchen's double doors, turned to see Vivian tossing a notepad in his direction. Flinching, he raised his hand and managed to pluck it out of the air. "Bring that into the back. I wrote special instructions for Jack to follow when he starts on it. I'm gonna go in there after ten minutes. When I do, I need you to take control of the floor for me until I'm done. Got it?"

At a loss for words at the sudden onslaught of instructions, Black couldn't even get two words out before Vivian went back to cooking the rest of the orders. With a sigh, he started to turn back around to go through the doors when his gaze met Astie's.

Their eyes met and Black froze in place.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Astie asked, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Oh, uh…no, I'm sorry," Black replied, mystified at why he felt nervous.

 _What's going on?_ Black thought to himself, his mind racing back and forth. _What's this feeling I'm getting? What is this? I was fine a few seconds ago, so why am I suddenly sweating?_

Black felt his feet anchored in place like someone had shackled them to the floor with heavy iron chains. He couldn't move, and his heart was trying to leap out of his throat. His hands felt heavy and his body felt numb.

 _Wh-why is this feeling…familiar?_

Forcing his eyes to tear from Astie, Black took a deep breath. Closing his eyes and exhaling through his nose, he turned around wordlessly and entered the kitchen.

Astie, who was watching this all take place, just stared after Black.

… _Black, huh?_ She thought to herself.

She smiled.

 _Bingo._

Wordlessly, she stood up from her chair and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen's double doors. Without pause, she opened them and proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Black, who had just entered, turned around when he heard the doors open. His expression changed to one of surprise when he realized that a customer had entered the back. Most especially the one that had incited the unusual feeling in him earlier.

"E-excuse me, Miss." He began, trying to control his mouth. He took a reproachful step towards the girl. "Th-this area is off limits to-"

"To think that the King of Despair chose you to be his host…how amusing."

The words stopped in his throat immediately, and Black's eyes fixed onto the girl in front of her like bolts being riveted to a bunker. His legs were once again paralyzed and good for nothing apart from keeping him standing. They felt like they were going to buckle at any moment, however.

"Don't look so petrified, William. Or do you prefer that I call you Black?" She smiled, but her previously gentle smile seemed nothing but menacing now to Black. "I think I like Black more. Besides, it's easier to say. One syllable."

Black couldn't do anything. He couldn't say anything. He remained frozen in place, the feeling that he had been assaulted with a few moments ago now bearing down on him with exponential magnitude. His mouth moved to say words, but no sound left his lips.

"I have business with you, Black. Come, follow me." Astie said, taking a step forward and taking Black by the wrist, who could do nothing but allow himself to be taken along, his feet like lead. He nearly dragged them on the floor as he was walking behind Astie, so unable to move was Black. The two of them walked straight for the back door, which led to a rather spacious alley where the delivery trucks for the diner's supplies were parked.

The two continued walking until they were standing in the space between two of the delivery trucks. Astie released Black's arm and then turned around to face him. "There we go. Now we can talk." She said, her smile from earlier not having left her face.

Astie closed her eyes. Keeping them closed for a few moments, she slowly began to raise her eyelids.

One eye was amber brown and reflected the light like a gemstone would.

The other was a sinister crimson, reminiscent of freshly spilled blood.

 _Th-this feeling…this is the same as…_ Black's thoughts were sprinting across the track field that was his brain, all his senses on high alert. Earlier, he was getting an intensifying feeling of wrongness coming from this girl and now it felt like the world was screaming for him to run and escape from there somehow. This sense of dread, this wrongness, this malice that was palpable in the air and as thick as smog was the same as a feeling he had experienced only once before in his lifetime.

"Y-you…" Black managed to utter a single word, though the rest of his sentence had been clogged in his windpipe. He wanted more than anything to get out of there, to escape. To live.

If he stayed, he would most definitely die. That was the feeling bearing down on his soul, pounding on his blood and harrowing away at his brain.

"You certainly seem to be dealing with it well. I guess meeting The King of Despair got you acclimated to the fear associated with dealing with us face-to-face." Astie remarked, seemingly genuinely impressed. She shrugged and took a step closer. "Well, that's all the better. The average person would pass out from fear and shock."

"…you're like him," was all Black could say.

At that, Astie chuckled and shook her head. "That's your mistake, Black. To assume that will spell death for you. The King of Despair was definitely one of the Thirteen Kings like me, but I am in a completely different league." She raised a finger and poked his chest. "Well, at least he can't hear me."

Black looked down at his body, his gaze at the junction between his body and Astie's finger. "…h-he's still in there?"

"Yeah. He never left, you know. He just made a mistake or two when he lost control of your consciousness. He's out cold right now. His aura is so faint that I'm having difficulty just sensing him, but at this distance, I can just barely sense it." She clicked her tongue and then flicked Black's forehead with her finger. "Wait, stop talking. You're changing the subject. You'll make me forget why I brought you here."

At that, Black decided to just do as she says. His mouth clamped shut, he just nodded and stood still.

"Now, where was I…?" Astie trailed off, her finger on her chin. She began tapping it, her foot tapping the floor simultaneously. "Hmm…" Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and her expression changed from a difficult one to that of delight. "Ah, yes! I remember now! It's about your friend, Leonardo Watch!"

"L-Leo?"

Astie nodded and took a step back. "See, just like that bozo you've got locked up in your body somewhere, I've been around since the first Great Collapse. And I've been watching the events unfold for a while now. That sequence with you and your friend and all that fighting was quite a sight to behold, you know. Quite the entertainment."

"…" Black did not reply. He continued to stare wordlessly.

Astie, not paying his silence any mind, continued. "It's just a shame that it all ended with my brother being sealed away inside you. I was looking forward to his second Great Collapse idea. I didn't think the odds of it working were all that great, but I would've liked to see a comeback. Especially with such high stakes."

This time, Black didn't just let it go by silently. "W-wait. The King of Despair is your brother?"

"Yep! I'm not like the other Kings, though. I prefer to just enjoy the show and let the others do their thing." Astie replied. "So, with that said, I need to ask you for a favor."

Black said nothing but nodded, sure that the opposite answer would result in his carcass slathered on the side of the trucks on either side of him.

"I kinda want my brother back. So, you know, if you're willing to let me use you for a procedure to extract him from your body, that'd be great." Astie said, taking a few steps and leaning in closer to Black. She closed the distance until their noses were barely touching. "I know that you think that you have no choice in this regard, but you actually do. Just not the ones that you're thinking about."

She took a step back and got out of Black's face. "See, this whole thing has Magic and Blood Arts written over it. There's a ton of complicated stuff to do, and one of the things that's involved is voluntary participation. I'll jump past the complicated nomenclature and get to the point: if you agree to it, that makes both of our lives easier. It'll turn a seven-hundred-hour procedure into a seven-hour one. You can go back to work after I'm done, I get my brother back, and we're both happy. Capiche?"

"…and if I say no?"

 _What the hell are you doing, asking her that question?!_ Black screamed to himself inside his mind. It was a reflexive question that left his mouth, and he braced himself for Astie to get pissed.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Astie simply shrugged. "If you don't agree, then I knock you out and drag you back home. Then I'll spend several hundred hours dissecting your soul so that I can safely and easily take my brother out. Think of it like this: imagine there's a soccer ball stuck in a fence and no matter what you do, you can't get it out. So instead of trying to get the ball out, you just cut the fence up until the ball's free. Easy, right?"

 _This girl's insane._ Black thought to himself.

"No, I'm not insane. How rude." Astie suddenly said, walking back to Black and pinching his nose.

"C-can you read my mind?!"

Astie just shrugged. "Among other things. I'm an expert when it comes to matters regarding the Soul and the Mind, so reading it is about as easy for me as reading a book is easy for your glasses-supplemented eyes. So?" She released his nostrils and gave Black an expectant look. "What's the decision? Hundred-hour torture from which you will definitely not survive? Or the other one that will have you feeling rather refreshed and ready for your daytime shift tomorrow morning? Keep in mind that I'm okay with either option."

"Wait." Black, for the first time, found the courage to speak. "W-what's Leo got to do with this? You said this was about him."

"Ah~!" As if having been struck by an epiphany, Astie snapped her finger. "Thanks for reminding me! I was supposed to use this as a bargaining chip." Despite not a single millimeter of her features changing in the slightest, Astie's smile seemed to change yet again. But now it was gentler.

"…you miss your sister, don't you?"

Black felt his teeth grit without his say-so. "…don't talk about my sister."

"I'm saying this because I'm a sister who wants her brother back, William," Astie replied, her smile fading. "I understand what it's like to love a sibling. And the idea of losing one is pretty shitty if you ask me."

"I get it. So? What about Mary? Why are you bringing her up?"

Astie's tone dropped pitch faster than a New Year's Eve celebration ball. From playful and cheerful to threatening in a half-second, the girl frowned. "Hey, champ. Drop the trucks. You're gonna cause a scene."

The chill that went down his spine made Black realize that the trucks that were on either side of them were now hovering in the air, outlined by yellow energy. When he did notice, he began to feel the drain on his body that he remembered was the price of using his psychic powers. Willing the powers away, the two trucks dropped to the ground with a relatively loud thud. The sound of wooden cargo boxes getting jumbled around could be heard from within the trucks.

"So, you get pissed when your friends and family get involved. Noted." Astie whistled, impressed. "Okay, so here's the deal."

Astie approached Black and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you let me take out my brother from your soul, I can bring your sister back as good as new."

"…you can do that?"

"Yes, I can." Astie pointed a finger at Black's chest. "I can read your mind and your soul. I know you hate yourself form not being strong enough to contain my brother and restrict his actions. I know you feel guilty towards Leo for your sister's death. I know you want to make it up to him. So, I'm offering you the chance to give Leo the opportunity that he never got. Heck, I could read your thoughts from the bathroom earlier."

"You could read those?"

"Easy-peasy! So?" Astie held her hand out, the universally recognized cue for a shake of hands. "Do we have a deal?"

* * *

"By the way, Leo, who was that chick?!" Zapp yelled as they zipped through traffic on their motorcycle. "Is she your new thing?!"

"No, I just met her! Her name is Astie!" Leo cried out, trying to be heard over the roar of the wind in his ears.

"Got it. Did you get her number?!"

"No! I didn't even get to tell her my name because you were rushing me!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me just because the boss said we had something to do! Besides, I heard her call you Leonardo Watch, so don't go lying to me!"

"What did you say?!"

"Stop screaming, pube-head!"

"Don't call me that!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Movement**

"I told you to stop landing on my face, bitch!"

"You just happened to stand in the way of my landing! That was your own fault! You should be more aware of your surroundings, ape!"

Leo sighed as he watched the iconic duo Chain and Zapp perform their routine bickering in the middle of the office, one of them with shoe-marks imprinted on the side of his face and misshapen hair.

Off to the side, Zed simply shook his head in disappointment. "Miss Chain is correct. If you had not simply taken two steps to your left like I thought you were going to, then you would not have been on the receiving end of her shoes."

"Whose side are you on, motherfucker?! You wanna go at it?!" Zapp, having already exceeded the limits of his impressively short patience, scowled at Zed. "Want me to break that shit around your neck and watch you flop around?!"

"If you do that, you're paying for the damages," Leo commented nonchalantly, walking past the three arguing individuals and made his way to Klaus, who was still sitting at his desk as per usual. Leo bowed his head slightly, a sign of his usual deference and respect to the Head of the Office. "Mister Klaus, I'm sorry for being late. There was some traffic and we had to take the longer route."

"No need for apologies, Leo. I already saw the news report of the traffic jam over there." Klaus waved his hand dismissively. "I don't know what that fool who thought that riding a motorcycle off of a delivery truck to save time had going on in his mind. More importantly," Klaus gestured Steven, who was standing near one of the desks at the side of the office.

The Vice-Head took the cue, and he took a step forward. "Earlier this morning, there was a report from Abram indicating that there was an immensely powerful presence detected near the downtown area of Hellsalem's Lot." Steven walked behind the desk and pulled out a long folder, which had a few papers sandwiched inside. He casually tossed the folder over to Leo, who deftly caught it while allowing a few of them to slip out of the folder. "They reported that the presence definitely possessed power on the same level as an Elder Blood Breed and was willfully radiating it for anyone and everyone to sense. Abrams called me, K.K, and Chain in to observe more about the target."

The female sniper mentioned was sitting on the couch, ignoring Zapp's and Zed's argument in the background. "The entity was identified in the form of a young girl, definitely a teenager. She was walking around like she didn't have a care in the world. In fact, she looked so carefree and normal that if we weren't detecting the danger from her, she definitely would have passed for a normal human."

Chain, who had walked over to Leo and picked up the last paper that had fallen to the floor, was staring intently at the file. "That sensation gives me the creeps. I've never felt anything with that level and kind of power before."

Leo nodded, gulping nervously. "That means she's definitely an Elder Blood Breed."

"This is the odd part, and perhaps the most alarming piece of information yet," Steven said, drawing Leo's attention back to him. "While she was under observation, she suddenly stopped radiating her power entirely."

Leo's raised an eyebrow. "That's…what do you mean?"

It took a moment for him to realize that the entire office had gone silent.

"You don't get it, runt?" Zapp said, appearing from out of Leo's peripheral vision and drove a slightly forceful palm into his messy hair. "That means that whatever that chick is, she can hide away in the crowd. We won't be able to detect her if she can do something like that."

"Quite a nasty trick," Klaus muttered, his hand to his chin. "Of all the Blood Breeds we have fought thus far, none of them have ever displayed an ability even remotely similar to that."

"Which is where you come in, Leonardo," Steven said, pointing at the young man in mention. "We need you to identify just what she is and her true nature. Getting that information will bring us one step closer to being able to eliminate the threat she poses."

Leo scratched his head. "I understand…but…"

"Do you have second thoughts, Leo?" Zed asked. "I know you seem to have an issue with your self-confidence but I've already told you that you're quite the asset to our team. You don't need to feel insecure about your ability."

"No, it's not that. Thank you for that, though, Zed." Leo said, glancing down at the file in his hands. "Based on the information you guys gathered, though…she's incredibly passive. It's like she's doing nothing but sightseeing. Do we really need to eliminate her?"

Steven shook his head. "Not necessarily. We just need to know more about her and understand what she is capable of before we can approach her. Not possessing information could lead to the destruction of Libra, Hellsalem's Lot, and ultimately the world. We have the responsibility to ensure our chances of success and survival as much as possible. If she truly intends on staying neutral and not causing any fuss, then we will not stand in her way."

"You're too nice, pube-head," Zapp muttered, driving his knuckles into Leo's head and digging them into his scalp. "If she turns out to be some messed-up chick, then we're as good as dead. Someone with that level of control over her powers could turn this entire city inside out and still be back home in time for dinner."

"And so that's that," Klaus said, standing up from his desk. "Leo, you will be accompanied by Chain, Zapp, Zed, K.K, and Steven to track down and observe this entity. The objective is simple: split it into smaller groups and when you spot her, lead Leo to her so that he can use his All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods on her. Do not engage or approach the target at all expenses, and do not allow her to realize that she's being observed."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"So…uh…"

"Yes, Black?"

Astie and Black were standing in the local abandoned church that was located a short distance from the hospital, the same one that White would sometimes visit on her impulse-driven trips when she was fed up with doing nothing but reading books in her room.

"What are we doing here?" Black asked, glancing around at the hedges, overgrown weeds, and the dying flowers that he was used to seeing; alongside the path that they were walking on was an array of brown, dead grass that outlined the way to the church, and that brown grass was flanked by what appeared to be roses of assorted colors. Mixed along with the dying roses were forget-me-nots, lavender plants, and sunflowers.

Astie kicked a stray stone off to the side, which made a sound as it struck one of the nearby headstones. The result was a small cloud of dust and stone that hung in the air for a few seconds before beginning to sink and drift to the left. "About time you asked, to be honest. You're too tongue-tied. Come on, relax. Deep breaths. One, two, three."

"I'd rather not breathe in the air of a graveyard if it's all the same to you."

Astie giggled at Black's curt reply. "So you can talk after all! Well, if you need to know, then I'm getting some of the things I need for the procedures that I'll be implementing to bring back your beloved sister."

"I-I see," Black said, unsure of how to reply to that. He glanced around, trying to ignore the atmosphere that was a mix of awkward and tense. "…what is it you need, exactly?"

"It's good that you asked, actually, because I can't do some of this without you," Astie replied. "See, there's actually something that only you can do that is necessary for making the procedure easier."

The two of them reached the front doors of the broken-down and abandoned church, one of them hanging loosely open on flimsy, rusted brass hinges. Astie raised her foot as if to kick the other door out, and then seemingly decided against it and instead just entered quietly. Black followed suit.

Astie stopped when she reached the center of the center aisle, tapped her toes twice on the floor, and then turned around to face Black. She extended a hand and gestured for him to approach her. "Come here for a second."

Black, not knowing what else to do in reply, did as she asked.

The moment that he entered arm's reach of Astie, he suddenly felt a wave of something he couldn't really identify hit his body. Shock led to a loss of balance, and Black felt himself wobble before dropping to his knees. "Wh-wha?!" He let out a gasp as he felt something unnatural assault his senses.

He felt like something inside of him was loosening and tearing but it wasn't any organ of his that was in disarray. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like a worm was squirming around inside the mud. Except that the mud was him.

"I need to prepare your body for the procedure by loosening the bond that your soul has with The King of Despair's. In order to do that, I need to have you visit the places where you switched consciousnesses with him and then play around with your mind a bit to get your soul to lose its hold." Astie said, crouching with her hands on her knees, and looked into Black's eyes. Unlike earlier, now both Astie's eyes were red and were actively glowing with a red light that was piercing to Black like an infrared laser.

"Y-y-you could have w-warned me earlier!" Black complained before feeling racked with another wave of discomfort, this time accompanied by some pain. Wobbling, he fell over to the ground, dazed, confused, and unable to control his body.

"Oh, shush. Just think of all of this as things you're doing for the sake of your sister and your good friend Leonardo." Astie pulled out a pair of glasses – or at least, what appeared to look like glasses. They sported two lenses and a frame, and that was where the resemblances ended. More like a pair of roided-up night vision goggles mixed with a steampunk spider-man visor crafted by Tony Stark, the eyewear's frame shone with a metallic glint like that of bronze and the lenses with the iridescent refraction of light one would normally associate with gemstones. Various other apparatuses such as extra lenses and a leather strap that Astie was already securing to the back of her head were visible. "Just give me a moment."

The instant she donned them, the light that was being emitted from her eyes went from being a focused infrared laser to a pinpoint, minuscule speck of red light that Black knew was boring into his eyes but could no longer see.

The discomfort factor increased tenfold, like someone was seeing inside him. Not just his body but his soul, his being, his everything. His memories, his experiences, his feelings, his likes, his dislikes, his history, his very nature. Like an open book, he could feel something reading into all of it and scanning it like one would look at an insect under a microscope. He began to attempt to get up, but he was unable to muster the strength and balance to do so.

"Hmm…hmm, hmm…" Astie raised her hands in the air, her palms at shoulder level, and then began moving her fingers separately of one another. Circles of soft, pink light began to emanate from the tips of her digits with every movement and every minute gesture. Whilst Black was writhing, trying to get up, Astie was simply humming a tune to herself and continuing her work. "Relax, Black. You're wasting energy doing that. Oh, and don't try running anywhere. I have your soul in the palm of my hands, so I could cripple any part of you or erase anything I please."

 _S-scary!_ Black thought, fear like permafrost running through his veins. He was already afraid of her, but only now he realized the true fearsomeness of what he was dealing with. Astie could literally break the spirit of whoever she chose. A tool far more powerful and effective than any nuclear bomb. _If she didn't care about me at all, I would have been dead before I could even think about running away._

"Hey, how rude," Astie muttered, lightly swatting Black on the forehead. "I do care about some things. Like right now. I care about your soul. After all, if it gets destroyed, it does some irreparable damage to my brother's soul. So don't worry. I won't kill you. Actually, stop thinking that. It pisses me off."

Black didn't reply. Finally resigning to the fact that he couldn't escape even if he wanted to, he ceased to writhe and laid on the floor motionlessly save for the rise and fall of his chest.

"Oh, good boy. That reduces the time of this procedure by approximately 307.56 seconds." Astie said, delighted. "You'll be relieved to know, by the way, that I also need to do this to bring back your sister."

Black's ears perked up slightly at hearing that. "…it is?"

"Yeah," Astie said, still tapping away with light particles beginning to fill the air; they drifted slowly and aimlessly in whichever direction, filling the abandoned building with particulates of pink snow and causing the broken stained glass windows to bounce back and forth the gentle light that was being given off. "You don't know this, but because you used your sister's soul and life force to reestablish the barrier around Hellsalem's Lot, a portion of your soul and energy as of now is imbued with the soul of Mary Macbeth. Even more so because you're siblings."

"I…I have Mary inside of me?"

"Sorta." Astie nodded, and then reached inside one of Black's inner jacket pockets. She extracted the broken cross necklace that Black kept with him at all times as a memento of White, and then pocketed it. "This necklace also has some residue thanks to White having it all the time. It's in every single memory of her that's floating around in your mind, so it's bound to serve its purpose as a catalyst greatly."

"C-catalyst?"

Astie continued to perform her procedure, and light was beginning to emanate outward from Black's body. Yellow sparks began to appear like miniature explosions, over and over in the air around them. They exploded with minute force, making the building rumble and shake ever so slightly. Black could feel the vibrations from the explosions down to the very core of his being, and with each one he felt a little more anxious.

She clicked her tongue, irritated. "Ugh. Your natural psychic energy is fighting back against me. It's trying to reject me tampering around with your soul even though I'm doing nothing harmful. Your gift is annoyingly powerful, Black."

Black said nothing, deigning to let Astie do her work.

"Oh, right." She snapped her fingers again; Black was beginning to figure out that it a habitual action that she probably did whenever something came to mind. "Your question. Right. Yeah, a catalyst. Something that strongly ties White to this world is required for the procedure; well at this point, it wouldn't be incorrect for you to call it a ritual." Continuing to work with her left hand, she raised her right hand up with her pointer finger aimed upwards like a teacher. "White's material body may be no more but her life energy is present within the barrier that surrounds Hellsalem's Lot. If I can gather enough of her energy in one place, I can attempt to restore her consciousness back to a state close enough to the original that she would be able to respond to the catalyst."

"And if she does?"

Astie grinned eagerly. "Once that happens, it will trigger an influx of memories that will begin to bring her back to the existence she once was. This point is crucial." Astie's right hand waves back and forth. "Once that happens, I can gather the rest of her soul to reconstruct her and bring her back to her former state. Well, not quite her "former" state but a state identical to what she would have been like in the present day if she had not been a specter of energy kept going by her parents' magic."

"Huh. I think I get it, sort of."

Astie tutted. "That's just what's gonna happen. What's going on beneath the surface is way more complicated, and I have to factor all of that in when performing the procedure. It's not as easy as it sounds. It's like performing physics calculations in real-time." She returned her right hand to doing some work, her brow creasing. The mini-explosions that were sending the pink particulates of residue energy every which way began to decrease in frequency and intensity.

"…hey, Astie?"

"What?"

Black looked up at her, inquisitively. After a few moments, he managed to sit up and rest his torso on his right knee. "…why are you even bothering to help me? If you really wanted to, you could have just ripped The King of Despair's soul out of my body. And even after I agreed to help you, you don't have to go out of your way to any of these things with Why are you going to all this trouble?"

"What, you don't want your sister back?" Astie asked, glancing at Black as if he had just suggested going downhill snowboarding in Saudi Arabia.

"No, that's not it. I do. But-"

"I know what you mean, relax." Astie raised one of her working hands to gesture for Black to quiet down, which he did. "…to me, this is just natural. I understand what it means to have and love a sibling. So if I'm doing this for you, it only feels normal for me to do the same for someone who knows the feeling."

Black stared at Astie, who just shifted around and refused to meet gazes with Black. "I know what you're thinking. You're probably wondering why one of the Thirteen Kings thinks this way, aren't you?" Astie's cheeks turn a little red, and she shifts her weight from one of her legs to the other. "…but to me, this is nothing. I'm not like the other Kings, who want to just cause mayhem and spread destruction. When this is over and I have my Brother back, I'm going to head back to the Alterworld and continue working on my experiments."

"Your experiments?"

Astie nods, her cheeks returning to their normal color slowly. "I'm part of a faction of Alterworld residents that want to stay within Hellsalem's Lot and make peace with the humans present. And, if possible, explore more of the human world outside of the borders of the city." Her smile returns, and her eyes begin to sparkle with the light of eagerness and excitement. "It's just a small group of academics and scholars who seek the educational benefit of venturing beyond our own world. But we desire peace and the pursuit of knowledge."

"…so even the Alterworld has people like you." Black couldn't help but comment; he immediately regretted the choice of words and winced, expecting for Astie to reply curtly.

But she didn't. Astie instead just sighed, her fingers picking up the pace. Black felt his discomfort slowly begin to dissipate. "…yeah. We're not very many, though. Not everyone shares our views, and many others only see humans as insignificant, powerless lifeforms whose purpose is to exist as a snack to the more powerful." She sighed again. "It's a shame, really."

This time, Black was the one who smiled. "You seem to really enjoy your work, don't you? That and being here, in this world."

Astie paused for a moment and stared at Black. "…Black, have you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?"

"No, it doesn't ring a bell. Why do you ask? What is it?"

"Never mind. Just felt like asking."

* * *

"To think that we searched all of downtown without coming across her once…" Leo sighed, tumbling off of the motorcycle and letting out a sigh loud enough to scare away eagles. "Don't we have any more information on her? Like a picture or something? Something that will give us a better clue?"

Zed O' Brien simply shook his head, getting off of the motorcycle and helping Leo to his feet. "Unfortunately, it seems as though that K.K and Chain could not procure one when observing her. I don't think that they didn't think to take one, though perhaps they simply were too focused on observing her to do anything else."

Zapp just spat on the sidewalk and parked his motorcycle, grinding his teeth in frustration. He removed the motorcycle helmet from his head and hung it on his vehicle, still looking sour. "Can't believe this bitch is making me waste money on gas when I could be spending it on Angelica…fucking hell…"

"Um, Zapp, your heart's not exactly in the right place."

"Shut it, pube-head."

Leo just sighed and returned his attention to the folder that he had placed inside a small messenger bag that he carried around inside his jacket to conceal his belongings and reduce the chances of getting pickpocketed. Extracting the papers from the folder, he went over the report again. The light of the setting sun that was reflecting off of the windows of the surrounding buildings struck the papers in his hand, and Leo shifted to the side to evade the rays of dandelion.

The report was summed up in words and descriptions that had been given at timestamps, with no pictures and detailed descriptions of the target at all. Various paragraphs that detailed the location and her actions at said locations were splayed out in front of him, none of them providing a clear image of who their target was and what her intent was.

Leo scratched his head, going over it twice and then thrice to make sure that he wasn't missing out on anything. It took a fifth try before he gave up and let out a groan. "This is hopeless. We won't be able to find her without a trace or more information." Leo sighed and looked up from the file, towards the sky past the buildings with no clear intent.

Without expecting anything in particular, Leo activated his eyes.

What he saw nearly floored him.

In the distance was a white-pink pillar of light that seemed to erupt from the ground and reach into the sky, disappearing into the mist and clouds that topped Hellsalem's Lot like icing that would never melt. It was unlike anything Leo had ever seen; it seemed to glow with a gentle light that pulsed like an erratic heartbeat, and smaller tendrils of similarly colored energy were meeting the bigger column at different junctions, some already out of sight from being hidden by the buildings surrounding Leo.

"U-um, guys?" Leo immediately activated one of his eyes' other powers, Shared Vision, allowing Zapp and Zed to see what he was seeing. "I don't know if that's related to what we're dealing with, but that looks like a problem. Right?"

"Whoa, holy shit!" Zapp stared up at the column, freaking out audibly. "What the hell is that?!"

"I just notified Steven, Leo," Zed said, placing his phone back in his pocket. "He said that we should check it out ahead of time and confirm the location and the nature of the energy before the others arrive."

 _The location is…_ Leo took one moment to get his bearings and then looked in the direction of the pillar of light once again. _That direction is…_

* * *

The lights of the setting sun bathed the abandoned church in orange like a fresh coat of irregularly applied paint, creating long, jagged shadows that stretched across the rotting wooden floor. Empty pews still filled it as if waiting for prayerful people that would never come, the wooden armrests in shambles.

Astie, wincing at the sunlight that was beginning to peer through the stained glass windows and into her eyes, muttered under her breath and raised a hand to block the rays of the sun. "I didn't realize it was already this late." She was sitting on one of the long benches, leaning her arms on the backrest.

"Oh, yeah," Black said in agreement, glancing in the direction of the still-open front doors. He The orange rays poured through like a waterfall, and he smiled a little. "We should probably go. This place gets scarier at night."

"What, you afraid of ghosts?" Astie scoffed. "There are things in Hellsalem's Lot that are way scarier and more dangerous than an invisible spirit, you know."

"No, it's just…the vibe I get from this place." Black replied, not bothering to feel nor appear offended at Astie's half-joking tone. Shifting in his place, he glanced over to one of the pews on the left side of the church. His gaze rested on one particular place, and his eyes softened; to Astie, they appeared to melt like ice in a fire.

That was the seat where White had deceived Leo for the sake of her brother, allowing the King of Despair to achieve his goal of the second Great Collapse.

Astie glanced back at the place where he was looking and then sighed exasperatedly. "…you already know it's not your fault, yet you feel guilty about it. That's what's strange about you humans; you're feelings are like an open book yet I can't understand you at all."

Black's smile changed, now carrying a slight trace of bitterness. "…that's us, after all. Sometimes, we don't even understand ourselves. Let alone the feelings of other people…but we learn to live with one another despite that."

"Can you really do that? Live alongside people who can't understand you?"

Black nodded, his gaze never leaving the seat. In his eyes, he could see White sitting there with the same smile she'd always been wearing whenever she was talking with Leo. "Sure can. I did it with Mary for years."

Astie just sighed loudly and got to her feet. "Yes, yes, I get it. You want your sister back. I want my brother back, so we're in the same boat. Come on, let's go. I need to pick up something else before we start the ritual."

"Something else?"

"Actually…" Astie blinked quickly twice, her eyes becoming red once again. She glanced in the direction of the front doors but Black felt that from where he stood, she wasn't looking at the doors. A few moments of silence passed by before her eyes reverted to their brown color and she walked over to Black. "We can proceed with the next step; we need to gather as much of White's soul in one location before I extract the part of her that lies within you and within this." She then holds out the broken cross necklace that she had taken from Black.

Black just nodded in agreement with everything she said.

"Now, this is where we split up," Astie said, much to Black's surprise. "I'm going to go find a suitable location to perform the procedure. You, in the meantime, need to do me a favor."

"A favor?"

Astie nodded. "I need daffodils."

"…" Black, unsure of how to reply that, gave Astie a bewildered look.

"I need them. They're important. They're a part of the procedure. Find as many as you can and bring them to me when I contact you."

"How will you contact me?"

Astie shrugged. "I can read minds. Telepathy's not a big deal for me, and it's easier for me to communicate with psychics like you. I'll let you know." Without waiting for another reply, she began walking for the front door. "Be quick about it!"

Black opened his mouth to say something, but she vanished through the door before anything could come out. He remained frozen in that position for a moment, arm outstretched in her direction, before he sighed and lowered his arm. "…I don't have enough money to buy those, though."

He turned around and began slowly walking down the aisle quietly, stopping when he reached the pulpit. His hands in his pockets, he stared up at the altar silently.

"Oh! Black!"

Hearing his name called out by a familiar voice, the blonde turned around to be confronted by Leo. "O-oh, Leo. You scared me. Don't do that without warning." He said, sighing before offering his friend a tired smile.

"U-um…" Leo glanced around the church nervously. "…did something happen here? How long were you here?"

"Just for a bit. Nothing much happened, just me."

Black didn't feel good about lying through his teeth. Seeing Leo sigh in relief only compounded that feeling. "That's good. But that's weird…did you see anything happening here earlier? Like, maybe there were some suspicious people around?"

Black stiffened for too short a moment to call it hesitation, managing to keep the truth from leaving his lips. "N-not really. It's been quiet here." He spoke half-truths, trying to alleviate his conscience from lying by just keeping the important tidbits unsaid. To no effect, he felt crappy all the same.

"Huh. That's weird…" Leo muttered to himself. "…well, no use thinking about it. I'll have to start over."

In his mind, Black decided that he needed to leave as quickly as possible before he made a mistake. He started for the entrance. "Well, Leo, I kinda need to go. I have to get back and help Miss Vivian with the evening shift."

"Alright. See ya around."

Black nearly stopped in his tracks when he heard that.

But he kept walking.

"…see ya around, Leo."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Not Enough**

At night, Hellsalem's Lot changes. As the sun descends past the line of the horizon and out of view, the lights of what used to be New York City come to life and illuminate the way for the residents of every twist and turn of the confusing mayhem that was the new status quo. Billboards light up in the old Manhattan Square, the tall buildings become pillars that refract every stray light from every passing car and every stoplight, and the air grows chillier. Despite this, the diverse cast of residents doesn't dwindle for a number for even a split-second.

The most illuminated area of the entire city was most definitely the amusement park and carnival, the place where young kids of both Earth and the Alterworld could let loose and have a good time with the games and the food. The smell of fried food from stands that lined the streets filled the air with a scent that could make monks stop fasting; the sizzling of corndogs and hamburgers raised the smell of meat that fought and mishmashed with the more complex scent of chimichangas, tacos, and crepes.

The air was not only filled to the brim with smells. As equally messy were the noises that occupied the atmosphere, a vibe of noise, mirth, and laughter filling the air. The needle-like sound of balloons being forcefully popped by rambunctious kids, the delectable crackle of oil popping and hissing in fryers, the giggles and chuckles of young and old men and women alongside entities whose height ranged from two feet to ten. One such entity whose lower half resembled an octopus but whose other half seemed perfectly humanoid was making a commotion, complaining that the young boy manning the air-gun stand was rigging the game so that no prizes could be won. Security guards of varying sorts were rushing to the scene to calm down the entity that measured in at over 9 feet in length, some of them human and some of them not.

And in the middle of all this mess was a pair of young people.

One girl had an armful of finger foods and snacks about her, including a unique item that was a crepe with a juicy full-sized steak in between the two folds of dough. She was taking bites from each snack, not in any particular order. Frequenting between Snack A and then two bites of Snack A, then a bite of Snack C and then another bite of Snack B, the young girl seemed like she was having the time of her life. She practically radiated contentment.

On the other side of the spectrum, the boy that was walking alongside seemed tired. Immensely so, enough that he looked like he'd run several marathons along the entire length of the Hudson River. He was slouched over with sagging shoulders, lugging behind him a sizable red wagon. On that wagon was a mountain of nothing but bouquets of flowers.

"…remind me why you chose the amusement park, Astie." Black managed to get out through ragged breaths, inhaling and exhaling like his life depended on it.

Astie pointed towards the Ferris wheel, at the carriage at the very tiptop of the ride. "Mhgffffufufuf fufgfhghgh." She attempted to reply verbally but her cheeks were as stuffed as a chipmunk's.

"Please chew and swallow that first. I can barely understand you."

Astie did so, exhaled, inhaled, and then spoke, "We need a high point. The top of the Ferris wheel will serve us well."

"Uh…okay…" Black stared at the multicolored ride, whose lights glittered and sparkled like the stars of the night sky that blanketed the ceiling of Hellsalem's Lot. His eyes were on the apex of the Ferris wheel's circular path, his expression skeptical. "…so, we're going to cast the ritual there?"

She nodded, biting into her steak-crepe and swallowing before she continued speaking. "However, we have to stay at the apex for a few hours. So, we need to find a way to get into a carriage, ride it to the top, stop the ride, and then conduct the ritual."

Black stared at Astie like she'd just grown a second head. "…and just how are we going to do that?"

"Easy-peasy, relax," Astie replied, waving a churro around in the air like it was a finger. "I already called in some help. They'll give us a hand when I give the signal."

Black just sighed. "…are you sure we couldn't have just gone to the Empire State Building and saved all this trouble? Are you sure you just didn't want to eat?"

"Well, that's part of it. Anyway," Astie glanced down at her wrist, where a wristwatch face returned her gaze. "We should get started with the preparations. It's already ten o' clock. We need to time it right."

"There's a timing to this, too?"

"Sure, there is. Auspicious timing and symbolism make certain rituals easier. By 5:30 in the morning, we'll reach the most important part of the ritual. It will be dawn around that time. The daffodils are also for that."

Black glanced at the wagon behind him, his eyes on the daffodils. "I thought you were just gonna start throwing around the petals like a wedding reception."

Astie flicked his forehead lightly without warning, causing Black to let out a yelp from the shock. He stumbled to his left, as Astie was walking to his right, and slipped. His frame struck a passerby, and the two toppled to the floor.

"I-I'm sorry!" Black quickly got to his feet and rushed over to the person he had just struck. "I didn't mean to! It was an acci-!"

Black's voice stopped in his throat.

He recognized the face of the stranger.

A head of unkempt hair and a face adorned with a steel mask, his usual demented grin replaced by a look of slight annoyance. "Astie, can you keep a closer eye on your friend, please?! He's going to ruin the goods in my pocket if he does it again."

Astie walked over to him, a non-apologetic grin on her face. 'Sorry about that, Femt. You need to watch where you're going, too, you know."

 _What the hell is one of the 13 Kings doing strolling around in the local amusement park?!_ Black thought to himself, taking a few steps back out of shock.

The man's slender shoulders merely shrugged. "I came running as soon as Astie called me up. I can hardly say no when she asks me for a favor, you see." His voice quaked for a shadow of a moment, and Black swore he could hear a hint of fear hiding within Femt's voice. "She's the darling sister of one of my dear friends! I could never not help her out when she needs me!"

 _Actually, I would like to know what exactly it is that you know about Astie that has you, one of the Thirteen Kings, shaking out of fear._ Black retorted in his mind, glancing warily at Astie who pretended not to notice. _Seriously. What is it?_

"Well, that's that. Femt and…uh, what's her name again? The other one?" Astie waved her food as if it were a baton, in Femt's direction. "The one who can't stay in a long-term relationship."

"I don't want to hear that from you!"

Without warning, the sound of a gunshot resounded through the air. Black turned in the direction of the sound, which was way too close for comfort, to see one of the other Thirteen Kings was already in their presence.

Aligura, one of the other Thirteen Kings and known throughout Hellsalem's Lot for her twisted approach to love and her massive contraptions that could potentially end the entire city if it weren't for Libra's interventions, was standing not three feet away from Black and directly behind Astie. In her hand was a 9mm pistol, the barrel still emitting smoke. The air smelled of gunpowder, matching Aligura's scowl. People around them were already glancing at her expressions ranging from horror and shock to nonchalant and mild annoyance.

Astie, on the other hand, looked incredibly relaxed as if nothing out of the ordinary. All of the food that she had been holding in her left hand was already being held in between her right arm and her torso. Her left hand was raised, holding Aligura's gun-wielding hand by the wrist. The gun was pointing at the sky instead of Astie's head.

"Long time no see, Aligura." Astie replied, sighing. "Come on, don't be like that. It was a joke, a joke. Don't tell me it's been this long since we've last seen each other and you still haven't learned how to take a joke."

Aligura just clicked her tongue and put the pistol back somewhere in her dress. Black couldn't tell where she'd hidden it, and he didn't care to ask nor look closer in case that would cause the Queen of Monomania to direct the pistol at him next. Aligura placed her hands on her hips and glared at Astia – or at least tried to glare but the mask that hid her eyes prevented Black from seeing any real glare.

Astie extended a handful of churros encased in a crepe paper wrapper towards Aligura. "Here, want some?"

Aligura said nothing, taking the churros and beginning to wolf them down one by one. Femt just sighed, "Sorry, Astie. Aligura's not in the best of moods right now, so I hope she doesn't give you too hard of a time."

"Just do your thing when I tell you to, okay?" Astie grabbed Black with her free hand and began walking towards the Ferris Wheel again. "Wait on it. Just have fun until then or something."

Femt and Aligura's figures quickly disappeared into the crowd as Astie and Black plunged back into the crowd. Black looked over to Astie, was chewing away at her snack without a care in the world. "Uh…" Black started but Astie hushed him.

"They're gonna get the job done. End of story." She pointed at the Ferris wheel that towered over the festival grounds, its multicolored lights raining brilliance down on the tents and people that walked below. "Come on, we need to get started. I need to set up the ritual already, so I need you to find a way to stop it."

"S-stop it? That's a little…out of my jurisdiction, Astie…"

"Oh, come on. If you don't, we can't even get started. And I don't mean that you hold the wheel in place with your psychic powers or anything, alright? Pull the plug on it or something. I mean, that thing does run on electricity, right?"

"…I'll see what I can do."

 **Two Hours Later…**

"Well done, Black! As expected of someone trying to bring back the dead."

The pair was standing inside the topmost car of the Ferris wheel, the windows giving them an unblemished view of the scenery below. Astie, having finished the majority of her snacks, was sitting down on a chair and sipping on a Jamba Juice colored a questionable shade of green. Black sat opposite of her, sweating and gasping for air.

It took him a few moments for him to regain enough breath to speak normally. Once he did, though, he directed an irritated gaze at Astie. "…for the record, I'm not going to make it a habit of destroying public property with my psychic powers."

"But destroying the generator was the right choice! We would never have gotten this far without your assistance, William. Thanks~!"

 _I feel like she's just having fun messing with me now._ Black sighed and got to his feet, his movements more careful as to make the car wobble in its dangling perch.

"Well, it's already midnight. The preparation for the ritual is going to take a while, so I'm going to need to start already. In the meantime, you'll have to prepare the other parts that need to be done elsewhere.

"Elsewhere?" he parroted.

To that, Astie pointed at the great mountain of daffodils that occupied the seat of the car next to Black. "Those. Leave ten flowers here. Take the rest of the bouquets and scatter them around the festival below us. Be sure to put a decent distance between each bouquet."

"…wait, you want me to perform large-scale flower arrangement?"

Astie put a finger to her lips in amusement. "Oh, that Japanese traditional practice that I read about? Yeah, something like that. Only instead of a small vase, you have several hundred square meters of land to arrange. Don't worry, think of it like tic-tac-toe. Or connect the dots. Or the lock screen of those smartphones all of you people are carrying with you nowadays."

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine, I'll figure it out. And what about you?"

Astie let out a groan, got to her feet, and began stretching her arms outward. "Me? Well, I have to get started on the ritual. Do me a favor and throw away the Jamba Juice in the recycling bin down below near the entrance." Before giving Black the chance to reply, Astie raised her leg and then extended it. Her foot smashed through the glass easily, the shards of which rained down below and disappeared from view.

Clambering through the window frame, Astie grabbed the upper edges of the car and then somersaulted onto the roof of the car. Black felt the entire structure wobble and shake nauseatingly when her feet struck the surface with a loud thump. He stuck his head out the shattered window to check what she was doing.

The girl raised her hand towards the sky and closed her eyes.

 **" _Reveal yourself!"_**

With a sonorous cry, vivid and bright light exploded from her hand and shot into the clouds. He felt the atmosphere tense up like a muscle, palpable and thick. Circles of bright white light immediately began appearing all over the sky, dotting the ceiling of Hellsalem's Lot like stars decorated the sky. Their diameters lengthened and shortened like they had their own heartbeat, slowly spinning in place like a top. Black's eyes widened as he saw several flashes beginning to appear in the sky as if lightning were crackling and cutting through the air. As if in response, globules of yellow light began to condense and float towards the multitude of circles, gathering together.

"…guess I'd better do my part too, then." Black turned around and scooped up as many daffodils as he could, the rest floating with his psychic powers.

 _White, just hold on. You'll be with us soon. You'll see him soon._

 _I promise._

"Hey, Black!" Astie's voice brought the blonde to a halt, and he placed the daffodils back down onto the seats. Glancing up through the broken window again, he saw Astie's expression curled into a frown. She looked down at him and pointed her free hand at him. "Throw up a barrier around this car right now! I know you can do it, so quickly! No questions!"

Black, with a troubled expression, did as he was told. Raising his hand upwards, he felt his inner magic conduits clench and flex. A field of yellow energy coalesced into existence, sealing the entire car in a translucent sphere of energy-

-just in time before he heard a distant gunshot go off. In a split-second, he felt his mind twitch in pain as an impact rocked the barrier and caused it to crack all over. The impact of the shot felt as real to Black as if he had been hit by a moderately-sized truck, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from falling to the floor in shock.

"A sniper!" Black exclaimed, turning to gaze in the direction of the gunshot. "Someone's trying to stop us!"

"Oh, you're Leo's friend."

A voice from behind made Black instinctively turn on his heels to see a young adult of a woman standing there in a black suit. With a collected and calm demeanor, she looked around the car and then back to Black. "…what are you doing here? Are you helping the person behind all this?"

"Ch-Chain…" Black faltered backward, unsure of what to do next. That one moment of hesitation was all Chain needed to lunge forward, spin Black around, and secure his hands behind his back. "Agh!" Black cried out in pain, his focus disrupted and unable to maintain the barrier that surrounded the Ferris wheel car which dissipated. "W-wait, Chain! Let me explain!"

"Hey, Black! If you don't put that field back up, I'll end up with a hole in my-"Astie's voice sounded closer. Black turned to see her climbing back into the car. "Oh, got it. Hang on a second, I'll deal with her."

"Are you the one behind all of that? "Chain asked Astie, a finger pointed at the lights covering Hellsalem's Lot. "Whatever large-scale magic or whatever you're up to, would you mind not involving the whole city? Otherwise, Libra will be forced to apprehend you."

"You're slow for someone so fast, werewolf." Astie sighed, shaking her head in what looked like disappointment. "I did it on that scale because I wanted to be noticed, silly. Besides, if her soul's fragments are scattered throughout the fog, then it's only natural I cast spells that involve the whole thing, right? Don't make me break it down for you, I don't have much time to waste."

Chain's eyes narrowed. "…you don't seem like the kind of person who'd destroy the city, but the way you talk is pissing me off. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to stop you."

Astie clashed eyes with Chain, smirking. "Forgive me for saying so, but you won't be doing anything for a while now. I'll have you go to sleep for a few hours." Saying so, Astie extended her hand towards Chain. Two large glowing hands appeared and, without warning, sank their hands into Chain's body; the fingers disappeared into Chain like they had gone into a portal. The werewolf's eyes became unfocused and hazy, and she slumped to the ground.

Black scrambled away and regained his bearings. He stared at Chain and then stared at Astie. "…what did you…?"

"I fiddled with her spirit and knocked her out. Don't make me explain the semantics. Instead, cover the car in a field again." Astie said, fishing her hand into her pockets and bringing out her phone. "I need to make a call."

Without waiting for Black's response, she dialed in a number and placed the phone to her ear, leaning her weight onto one of the seats. The car shifted to the side ever so slightly as she did, making Black stumble to the side somewhat before putting up the barrier of energy again. Right when he did, two more gunshots rang out and smashed into the barrier and making Black wince in pain. The barrier shattered like glass upon the impact of a third shot, forcing Black to create a third one.

"Hello? Femt?" Astie paid the whole thing no mind, picking up a daffodil and admiring it in the sunset's light. "Yeah, I need a diversion so I can get my work done. Do me a favor? You and Aligura start the party like we agreed, please. Also, keep the killing to a minimum."

The instant that Astie lowered her phone and hung up, Black felt a shockwave ripple in the atmosphere and through his entire being; the sound of a distant explosion tore the air apart. He looked out the window and saw smoke rising from the downtown area, trailing in the wake of Aligura's massive tank-like vehicle. Several buildings lay on the streets, reduced to rubble. Below, he heard cries of dismay rise. Glancing down greeted him with the sight of Femt's demonbeasts charging through the stands like deformed, demonic horses at a race.

"…is this what you meant by a diversion, Astie?"

"Just head down and do the thing with the daffodils, William. I need to get back to work."

As Black did as he was told, he couldn't help but think guiltily about all the people who had gotten involved and killed in this scheme.

Climbing down the emergency escape, it was all he could think about.

* * *

"Boss said we should head for the carnival near the pier!" Zapp cried out, trying to be heard over the roar of the wind and the cries of innocent people running away as demonbeasts tore through the streets. He raised a hand, and a thin line of blood rose into the air and tied a dozen demonbeasts together. Quickly fishing out his cigarette lighter, he ignited it and watched them all explode in a shower of guts and gore.

"Yes!" Leo cried out, his eyes focused on the lights in the sky. "The source of all this chaos is coming from there! We have to get there quickly before anyone else dies!"

"Easier said than done, Leo." Zed replied, his grip on his blood-trident tightening. "There's too many demonbeasts. Whatever the mastermind behind this is planning, it might be too late."

The three were all aboard one scooter, two wearing helmets and one standing on the very edge of the seat of the vehicle with a weapon in hand. Zapp quickly sucked in a breath of air and curved the handlebars hard, and the vehicle curved to the left so sharply, that Zed was momentarily thrown off; he corrected his path mid-flight, landed on the roof of a car, and then leaped back onto the scooter whilst simultaneously dispatching of two more demonbeasts that were following Leo.

"Here, Zapp! This shortcut will take us to the-!"

"I know, kid! Just shut up and let me drive!"

Zapp grit his teeth and curved hard again, the scooter practically spinning a full circle before it managed to squeeze down a barely-wide-enough alleyway. Making it to the other side, Zapp curved another left and right before stomping as hard as he could on the gas. "Fishboy, jump off! Pubehead, hang on to me!"

Zed turned around to retort, but his remark was caught in his throat at the sight of what was in front of them; a demonbeast half the size of a small building. "Renfro, damage the underside while I distract it!" With that, he smashed the flat end of his trident into the ground and vaulted straight up towards the trunk of the creature.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Leo let out a garbled cry as he clutched tightly onto Zapp's torso, ready to hang on if it meant he would lose his lower half.

" _Big Dipper Blood Battle Style, Blade Form Four: Crimson Bone-Eater!"_

Slamming the scooter handlebars hard to the side and shifting his center of gravity, Zapp and Leo's body felt their bodies lowering and lowering until their shoulders were touching the concrete. The scooter slid nearly completely horizontally under the large creature that was lumbering towards the Empire State Building, one passenger clinging desperately to his life and the other with a massive, jagged blade made of his own blood.

Above the creature, Zed O' Brien propelled himself higher and higher until he was roughly thirty meters above the creature's body.

" _Big Dipper Blood Battle Style, Blade Form Five: Piercing Dragon Spear!"_

With a sonorous cry, Zapp tore along the length of the creature's underside with his serrated blade whilst skidding along the concrete. The demonbeast bellowed in pain, blood splashing all over the streets and dying them crimson. Zed plunged downwards, punching through the creature's back and all the way to the bottom. Severing vertebrae, an extremely large heart, and several oversized ribs on the way down, he burst through the skin of the creature and down to the underside where he tore through the skin to land directly on the side of Zapp's scooter that was facing upwards.

The monster let out a dying cry and began to fall downwards just as the three managed to escape its shadow. Zed leaped off of the scooter as Zapp readjusted it so that they were traveling vertically again, and the piscine anthropomorph landed on the back of the seat in the same position that he had been in earlier.

"…please never do that again." Leo muttered, trying to catch his breath and correct his breath.

"Don't be such a wuss. And get your head out of my jacket. We're here." The scooter braked so hard that the momentum would definitely have definitely thrown Leo off had Zepp not been in front of him. The tan, silver-haired man clicked his tongue, grabbed Leo, and threw him off the scooter. "Come on, get to the Ferris wheel. We'll handle the other demonbeasts nearby, so you go to the bottom of this and figure out what's going on."

"If you need help, just shout. We'll be there." Zed said, flashing Leo a thumbs-up as he stepped off the seat of the scooter. He twirled his trident once, the sheen of red vivid in the moonlight that struck it.

"…got it!"

Leo immediately made a dash in the direction of the Ferris wheel and ran for as fast as his legs would let him. Nearly tripping over his own feet, Leo's shoulder struck the unmanned security gate as he sprinted. Nearly cursing under his breath, he glanced to the side and saw Sonic running by his side like he always us. Seeing the monkey calmed him a little, and Leo took a deep breath before beginning to run-

-before he realized that the sound of something breathing deeply and intensely was emanating from within one of the tents. He could tell that the stand had a few toy guns with corks in their barrels; he slowed down and tiptoed as much as he could while running.

A low growl and a feral snarl confirmed his fears; Leo instinctively hid behind the nearest thing that would shield his body from view. Leo felt a shudder run down his spine as a demonbeast tore through the cloth of the tent, drips of acidic juiced dripping from its grotesque, teeth-lined jaws.

 _I can't let myself get caught!_ Leo held his breath, not a single voice coming from him. The only sound coming to him was his heartbeat pounding against his eardrums. _I'm toast if I do!_

The sound of an explosion and a collection of pained roars emanated from the direction of the entrance that Leo had just come from. Leo dared not react. The demonbeast looked in the direction of the entrance, let out what sounded like an angered growl, and then began running on its pudgy legs. Leo let out a relieved sigh as the creature disappeared around the corner.

"…you're not afraid of those things since you can just outrun whatever you want, huh?" Leo glanced down at Sonic, who was sitting at Leo's side and peering up at him with an unreadable expression and wide eyes. "…come on, Sonic. We gotta go."

Leo got back to his feet and, vaulting over a bench, began running in the direction of the Ferris wheel that loomed with its shadow overhead. He glanced upwards while running and opened his true eyes, feeling the familiar strain of the All-Seeing Eyes like a gentle flame was pulling on his cranial nerves with a force that was very slowly but very surely intensifying. Like a matchstick had been ignited behind his eyeballs or in the center of his skull, he felt as if heat was permeating through his flesh.

The sky gleamed with pink, yellow, and white lights that seemed to swirl in mini-cyclones all over the entire city. The moon's rays seemed to meld with the out-of-place energy, painting everything with a silvery finish that would make Leo nod in artistic appreciation if it had been an artwork in a gallery and not an event in real life. Leo's eyebrows narrowed as he saw a series of tendrils beginning to rise from the topmost carriage of the Ferris wheel and towards the sky. Like Cthulu had slathered bioluminescent gelatin over his tentacles, the tendrils of light began spanning out and towards the floating lights in the sky.

A bad feeling began to flower in his gut.

 _I have a bad feeling about this._ Leo thought to himself.

Leo skidded to a stop at the entrance of the Ferris wheel, one hand supporting his heavily-breathing frame on a post that held up a bubblegum-colored sign with the words "Ferris wheel" were present. Taking a deep breath, Leo started walking towards the entrance.

"Leo?"

His feet stopped. Leo turned to the familiar voice, a familiar face behind him.

"Black?"

The two stood across from one another. One had a confused look on his face, the other a conflicted one. One was covered in dirt and scraped, the other in what seemed to be stray flower petals. "What are you doing here, Black?" Leo asked, turning to face his friend and taking a step forward. "It isn't safe here. You should find a place to hide and wait for everything to blow over."

"…I wish I could do that, but I can't."

Black didn't know what else to say, so that was what left his lips.

"What do you mean, Black?" Confused, Leo walked over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "If you don't get out of here, you might die. Your life's in danger!"

Leo took the blonde by the wrist and then started pulling him along, away from the Ferris wheel. "Come on, I'll take you to Zapp and Zed. I can tell them to take you somewhere safe while-"

"Stop it, Leo."

Black's words didn't get seem to get through to Leo, as he just continued to walk forward. "It's dangerous in the city right now, so I'll probably ask Klaus if it's okay for you to stay at the Libra headquarters first. I'm sure he'll understand-"

"I said to stop!"

With a swift motion, Black ripped his arm from Leo's hand and stopped walking forward. Leo slowly stopped walking; Leo turned to face Black, his expression muddled and confused. "Black, what are you-?"

"My life isn't the one that matters here, Leo."

Leo felt his words stop in his gullet. Black's eyes were shaking, wavering with a mixture of emotions that emanated a pressure which rendered Leo helpless.

"…what are you talking about, Black?" Leo asked, just barely managing to keep himself from stuttering. The messy-haired member of Libra wanted to step forward, to reach out and place a hand on Black's shoulder; to tell him that everything was going to be okay, that things would work out the same as they always did on a daily basis ever since Hellsalem's Lot had come into being.

He wanted to say those things, but he felt his arms chained to his sides and his lips stitched shut. Black's face, the look on his face, stopped him from doing just that. Somehow, Leo could tell that those words were insensitive. He didn't know what was going on, why Black was making that face. He couldn't guess if his life depended on it. He didn't know what to say, what to do, to that face.

"…Leo…I didn't tell you the real reason I came back to Hellsalem's Lot." Black looked up at the sky, the twisted mockery of Aurora Borealis that was writhing in the sky above reflected in his eyeglasses. His lips formed a smile dripping with guilt and sadness. "…I came back because I made a mistake. I came back because…because I knew that this is the place where a lot of things happen. Feats and deeds unexplainable by modern science…miracles or nightmares. Those things are possible here, right? You came here for the same reason."

Michella came into Leo's mind as the first image. He needed no more words to understand what Black meant, but he needed more than words to understand what Black was trying to say.

Black reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He extended his hand towards Leo and opened his fist, palm to the sky. In his hand lay a silver necklace; the single charm on that necklace, the single ornament that adorned the chain, was broken into fragments.

"…Black…you…" Understanding finally passed between them. Leo felt enough strength to take the step forward. He reached towards Black and placed his palm over the necklace. Leo was surprised when he saw his own hand seem to move towards it, instead of placing it on Black's shoulder like he'd intended.

"…Black, it wasn't your fault." Leo began. "…in the end, she-"

Black's hand clenched into a fist again. He tore it away from Leo's. "…no matter how many times you tell me that, Leo…no matter how many times you tell me that…it was my hands that…"

A church. The quiet broken by a single gunshot, point-blank at her heart. The memory was heavy, too heavy for Black to bear. Heavier than a thousand suns, a burden great enough to break every bone in his body but the only thing broken was his heart. His body not under` his control but his mind free to spectate the horror that played out before him. Black felt the tears spilling out, unable to rein them in. The recollection made him want to vomit, to run away, to jump off a cliff or cut his wrists.

Silence. Leo wanted to say the things he'd said before, the things that he earnestly believed: that Black, that William Macbeth, was not the one responsible for his sister's death. At that moment, his jaw seemed to fight a force on par with a trash compactor. He said nothing. He could say nothing.

Leo's hand, still on Black's wrist, slid across the blonde's skin when his grip loosened. His fingers ran over the bespectacled, crying boy's skin and detected slight creases and bumps. Very slight bulges.

He didn't need to roll Black's sleeves up to understand what he felt under Black's sleeve. He didn't need to use the power of his eyes to see the pain taken physical form on William's wrists. At that moment, Leo felt, anything he said would not be a comfort to his friend in the slightest.

Black began walking back to the Ferris wheel. "…I decided to come back to Hellsalem's Lot because deep down, I'm looking for the kind of miracle that can correct my mistake. I learned the hard way that taking my own life was not the way to do it…" Black's hands found themselves clasping his own wrists, a shiver visible in the tearful boy's shoulders. "…White wouldn't have wanted that…Astie holds the key to fixing everything. With her help, I can…"

His voice drifted back into silence. Leo said nothing as the two friends' shoulders brushed past one another. Black took one step. Two. Three.

"…if that's how you feel, Black…then I won't stop you."

Black stopped.

"…I…"

Leo fought to step forward. Heavy chains pulled against his ankles as he took one step. Two. Three. He placed his hand on Black's quivering shoulder and turned him around so that they faced one another again. "…I have no idea how much pain you've gone through, Black. I'm sorry for not noticing it earlier. Not noticing your feelings, your pain, your hurt…but I do know that I want the same thing you do, deep down." Leo smiled a small smile. "…I want to see her again, too."

The two friends locked eyes. Black slowly felt his strength beginning to waver under the intensity of Leo's small but well-meaning smile, and he leaned forward. He gripped Leo lightly, fighting to remain standing, and placed his forehead onto Leo's shoulder. "…Leo…I miss her…I miss Mary…it was my fault, Leo…I pulled the trigger…I couldn't stop him…"

"Uh…guess this is a bad time to drop in, huh?"

Leo could hear Zapp Renfro's voice from somewhere behind him. "Yo, Leo. We took care of most of the demonbeasts in the area, so we figured we should come in and check on you…uh…" Leo turned slightly to see Zapp pointing at Black. "…is he gonna be okay?"

Leo nodded and then turned back to face Black. He took ahold of both of Black's shoulders and stood him up straight. "…Black…if all of this stuff tonight was to get White back…then I can't blame you. If it had been Michella, I might have done the same thing." He fished out a handkerchief from his back pocket and gave it to Black. "…tell me what needs to be done, Black. Let's finish this together."

"Y-you…you're going to help me?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to help you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Welcome Home**

"…yeah, there she is."

Astie muttered to herself, absorbed in her work as her consciousness scanned the hundreds of thousands of square feet that spanned the condensing gas. Like lightning racing across steel, the reach of her mind zipped and sped through the clouds, finding scattered nuggets of condensed energy. Ethereal and non-physical, they seemed vulnerable and on the verge of disappearing yet somehow never doing so; like they had a persistent will of their own. They were singularities yet also aggregates, gathering energy from around them. Most importantly, they were drawing in the yet-to-wither remnants of other particles of similar energy.

"…hmm…there should be a different one…" As if reaching out with her hand, Astie's mind danced around the clouds in the field. Like poking them with a finger, the tendrils of her mind moved outward and encircled each bit of energy that she came across. Under her influence, the orbs slowly began to coalesce and make themselves obvious in the physical plane. "…it's not this one either…" She muttered all the while to herself as she got to work.

Suddenly, she came across a much larger singularity than all the ones she's found thus prior. To her trained eyes assisted by complex peripherals designed to tap into a different plane of existence altogether, it was roughly the size of the average bowling ball and felt condensed with hundreds of thousands of bits and pieces of information. If the smaller ones had been megabytes, this one was definitely a petabyte.

"Bingo." Astie said to herself, satisfied. Her mind reached out and pricked it with a touch of her magic. Instantly, a large yellow orb of the same size as her estimate suddenly appeared high above the buildings of Hellsalem's Lot. The light shining off of it was bright enough to be taken for a dying sun on its last legs, causing everyone within several kilometers of the orb to immediately take notice. "Now all we need is-"

"Astie!"

She turned at the sound of Black's voice. She met the boy's gaze as he clambered up into the car of the Ferris wheel. She snickered when she noticed his all-too-determined gaze. "Seems something happened. Are you done?"

"Yes, we are." Another voice. One she recognized. Leonardo climbed into the ladder. Astie couldn't help but hold back a whistle as she saw the messy-haired boy before turning her attention back to Black.

Black let out a tired breath, inhaled another deeper one, and then steadied his breathing. "What do we need to do next, Astie?"

"Good job, William. You already finished everything, actually. Here you go." Astie said with a smile, walking over to Black and holding her hand out with the palm facing downward and her fingers closed. "You should probably take this back. I won't be needing it anymore."

Wordlessly, Black reached out in return to take whatever it was that Astie was offering him. Her hand opened and out fell the necklace that she had initially taken from him. The one that, while in the possession of Mary, had been broken into two. He gave her a confused look, but she shook her head.

"You already took care of what could have arguably been the hardest part." She said, glancing back to Leo. She let out another whistle, readjusting one of the lens on her special goggles. "…amazing."

"…uh…" Leo unsure of how to respond, looked down at himself to make sure there was nothing wrong. Finding that he was in one piece, relatively uninjured, and somewhat presentable, he looked back to Astie. "Is there something wrong with-Chain!" Out of the corner of his gaze, he realized that his fellow Libra member was sitting unconscious on one of the chairs of the car. Out of concern, he immediately rushed to her side and began checking her.

"What, Leo?" Black asked, confused. "What's he got to do with this?"

Astie just placed a finger over her lips as if to hush Black and removed the goggles over her eyes. "It's best if you look through these." She handed them to him, smiling coyly. "You'll see what I mean."

Black took them from her, giving her one last somewhat troubled expression before donning the goggles. Initially a tight fit, given that Astie's head was apparently a little larger than his, Black fiddled with the strap for a few seconds before he managed to equip them properly. "I don't really know what I could possibly see that would be-"

William felt the need to blink, the words leaving his mouth deciding to stop in the throat halfway through abruptly enough to cause a traffic jam in Broca's area.

Leo's entire body, from the ends of his shaggy hair to the tips of his worn-out shoes, was surrounded-no, practically coated in yellow particles that looked identical to that of every orb that was hovering in the distant sky. They danced around Leo's arms, legs, and torso with energy that was absent in their kindred that were glowing over the buildings of the city. As he moved around, they seemed to follow him and shine with a very subdued yet somehow vibrant-to-the-eye light that would intensify and lessen several times a second.

Almost like fireflies. Millions of minuscule fireflies that may have had a dip in an open can of Red Bull.

"Wh-what is-?!" Black immediately walked forward and reached out to Leo in an attempt to grab the particles that was surrounding his friend. His hand just phased through the particles like they were wraiths, instead finding themselves touching Leo's shoulder. Leonardo himself didn't seem to notice, so concerned was he over Chain's condition that it didn't seem to register in his brain. Black withdrew his hand, still staring in a mix of wonder, confusion, and fear that he couldn't really process what had just happened. "Wh-what's happening?!"

Astie just giggled and took the goggles off of Black. "William, try to put two and two together, please. I know you're in shock and awe, but don't forget to use your head. Here's a hint: it's all yellow." In support, she gestured to both Leo and the orbs in the sky. "Yellow, William."

"…that's the color of my energy. Mine and…and Mary's."

"Good. Took you long enough." Astie pulled out what appeared to be a very worn-out looking book that looked to Black like it was half as long as a ruler in length. She licked her thumb and began flipping through the pages, her eyes moving from side to side as she skimmed through the content at an unrealistic pace. "Not only did your sister never truly vanish, but it also looks like she's given Leo's some extra protection. Some people call it a blessing, others would call it a curse. I prefer to think of it as neither. Most people would just think he's extra lucky. Fascinating." She closed the booklet and then pocketed it. "Alright, I'm ready to go. Black, just give me a moment. I'll have your sister in a jiffy."

Astie walked over to Leonardo and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, mister googly-eyes. Stop worrying over the werewolf, she's fine." Astie gestured to Chain with her hand, making a motion like she was beckoning her to stand up. Almost immediately, Chain's eyes opened and she did indeed stand up. Right in front of Leo, which startled him enough to knock him down to the floor on his butt.

"Wh-what happened?" Chain, with a litte bit of drool still hanging out of her mouth, said as she attempted to get her bearings.

"…um…Chain?"

"Yes, Leo?"

"Are you sure you weren't just asleep?"

"No, of course not."

"C'mon, tiger." Astie muttered, grabbing Leo by the collar of his shirt and beginning to drag him towards the window. "You and I have a little ritual to complete. You'll be helping me get your girlfriend back."

Unable to respond, Leo just clawed at his tightened collar and trying to gasp for air while a nonchalant Astie began climbing out of the window and onto the top of the car with the boy dangling from one hand. She effortlessly tossed his body up onto the roof; Black winced as he heard the loud thump of Leo's shoulder meeting the body of the Ferris wheel car. After taking a moment to regain his composure, he walked over to Chain, who was still disoriented and clearly confused. "Don't worry about Leo," Black said in an effort to calm her down. "He's safe."

"Are you sure?" She asked, flaring a concerned expression. "Someone who's able to knock me out so quickly is dangerous. If she has that much power and she's allowed to run free, then-"

"I get what you mean, but don't worry about it. She's not a fighter, and she's not trying to destroy Hellsalem's Lot or anything like that." He returned, raising his hands and making ' _please calm down_ ' motions with them.

Chain sat down onto the seat behind her and raised a hand to her temple. She gave Black a look of skepticism. "…then what is she after?"

Black sighed. "It's a long story."

* * *

"Update me on your status."

Zapp scowled at the question of the voice on his phone as he took a step to the side. With that sidestep, he raised his arm and then brought it down in a diagonal slashing motion. The blade of blood that was in his hand followed along and tore its way through the side of an incoming demonbeast, which let out a howl of pain as it staggered forward a few more crucial seconds before collapsing to the floor in a heap of deadness. The surrounding demonbeasts, witness to the spectacle, simply stayed back and stared at the tan man in a mixture of apprehension and fear. "The situation hasn't changed much. There's plenty of demonbeasts and lots of injured civilians." Zapp muttered into the phone, returning the stare of the monsters with one of his own. "Fish boy and I are taking our time making sure the rest are getting to safety. We're buying them time to escape."

"What is your location?"

Zapp grunted, kicking away one monster and then cutting another in half. A fourth one charged forward with wide open jaws, attempting to bite Zapp in half before it was fatally interrupted from behind. Its green blood sprayed everywhere as Zed, descending from above, impaled it through its head with his trident in a single motion. "We're on 42nd of Nephthys Street near the amusement park, two blocks away! Leo's met up with some blonde kid over at the Ferris wheel. I have no idea what he's up to but it seems important. I also got a status update"

Silence on the line preceded a sigh. "…if what you say is true, then he should be fine. Chain's transmitter indicates she's at the Ferris wheel, according to Gilbert, so I don't have to worry about protection. And if that boy is also there, it should be fine. Very well! I'm in Times Square with the police department, protecting the entrance to one of the demonbeast shelters. Zapp, work with Zed and try to apprehend Caligula and Femt! This could only be his work!"

Zapp clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, "Easy for you to say, boss." He threw his sword with an exaggerated whipping of his arm, turning it into a rotating disc that cut through several monsters at once before it returned to his hand. Spinning on his heel, Zapp then turned the blade into a thin thread and tossed it like a lasso that tightened itself to enchain another dozen creatures. "Hey, Fish boy! We've got a job to do! We need to finish up here!"

Without hesitation, Zed beheaded the entire group of demonbeasts in a single sweep of the trident. The remaining ones, which numbered less than twenty and coming in at various sizes, decided that this was the cue for them to exit. They scurried off, leaving the two in the wake of several hundreds of dead bodies. "Where are we going, Zapp Renfro?"

"To Times Square to meet with the boss. Leo's got it handled over here, plus Chain's apparently somewhere there too, so things should be fine." Zapp replied, shrugging and beginning to walk for his scooter. "…this is a pain in the ass."

"…don't look so irritated that Klaus trusts Leo more than you at a time like this."

"What was that, fish boy?! You wanna go?!"

* * *

There were times when Leo thought that living in Hellsalem's Lot wasn't very healthy for him. In more ways than one. There is an ever-present risk to his physical health and his life, compounded by being an member of Libra and being around the members that it consisted of; Abrams, for one, was the kind of person people wouldn't consider human just because he was just so out-of-the-norm. Beings way stronger than humans couldn't survive being around Abrams. Then there were people like Chain who could do whatever they felt like and it would take an entire dedicated task force or hurriedly-created branch of government to stop her. And then there were the daily incidents with people like Femt, whose creations and threats were everyday yet realistically terrifying and damaging, that they could definitely attempt global domination if they weren't keen on stopping on one city alone.

Now, he felt, was different from those times.

"…so I just stand here like this?" He asked, a mix of nervousness and curiosity in his voice.

Atop the Ferris wheel car that was dangling hundreds of feet up in the air, Leo found himself standing in the center of a glowing circle. Best described as a magic circle and worst described as a demonic summoning circle, the patterns on the ground filled the air with a yellow glow that reached into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. Surrounding him were dancing yellow particles that seemed to flicker and glow with an intensifying light, encircling him in a very slow vortex.

Astie stood a short distance away, her expression one of intense concentration. Her arms were raised in front of her, poking through the air with short but incredibly swift and quick motions like she was typing on a keyboard. Suspended two feet above her in the air were two immense skeletal arms that moved in accord with Astie's movements; every time both her fingers and the fingers of the wraith-like skeletal arms made a motion, particles would temporarily flare into existence and small bursts of energy would appear before disappearing just as abruptly. In tandem, almost as if in response, some yellow particles that were crowding around Leo would also flare and brighten before dimming once again. Magic circles identical to the one surrounding Leo were beginning to appear in the air around him in varying sizes and at varying distances, some close and some incredibly far away.

Most remarkably, circles were also dotting the sky. Plenty of the yellow globes that had been hovering in the air and gathering energy were now surrounded with Astie's magic circles. The circles, with their repeating patterns, revolved and rotated seemingly of their own accord yet Leo had the feeling that every single little thing was planned in one way or another by the girl standing in front of him.

Astie, locked in concentration as she was, didn't respond to him. Whether she didn't hear him or ignored him, he didn't know and couldn't tell. He opened his mouth to speak again only to be silenced by Astie shooting him a glance for a microsecond that clearly told him to be quiet. He did so obediently, not wanting to risk any incident happening as the result of his ignorant interference.

"…and…done." Astie said, letting out a breath and then lowering her arms. The skeletal hands disappeared as she did so; the girl let out a bored yawn and began stretching her arms up towards the sky like she was doing calisthenics. "That should do the trick."

"Um…" Leo trailed off, still looking down at himself and wondering what was going on. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask what you're doing…" Sonic, who was standing nearby with wide eyes and a mix of apprehension and wonder, nodded in agreement.

At that, Astie turned around and walked over to the other side of the roof of the car where a large pile of white daffodils resided. She picked up an armful and walked over to Leo. "Hold these for a moment, please." Astie requested nonchalantly.

Leo did so obediently. Astie poked the flowers with her finger and murmured something in a language foreign to Leo's ears. Instantly, the flowers began to glow with a faint light. "Okay, give those back to me." Leo responded unquestioningly, and Astie took them from him. She took two steps back and began sprinkling them around Leo in the circle.

 _Maybe I should stop asking questions._ Leo thought to himself, scratching his head.

"Hey, Leonardo Watch." Astie cut the silence in half just as Leo thought she wanted it in spades. "Got a question for you. Also, don't try lying to me because I can just open up your soul and check for the truth if I felt like it. It's important for this ritual, so don't mess around."

"Uh…okay…" If Leo's fear could manifest physically, the entire Ferris wheel would have broken under its weight.

"What do you think of Mary Macbeth?" Astie stopped everything she was doing, even placing the flowers on the ground, to look Leo in the eye. "What was your opinion of her? What was she to you? What was your relationship with her?"

"…White?" Leo scratched his head again and then gazed out over the body of water that spanned out to the side, sitting aside the amusement park. "…she was a good friend. She, uh-"

Astie sighed and, summoning a smaller version of the skeletal hand to do it for her, lightly slapped Leo across the cheek. "No, no. That's not what I was asking about," she said before Leo could complain.

"Then what do you want me to say?"

"Did you love her? As a woman?"

At that, Leo's face flushed pink slightly. "I-uh, I don't really think that I-no, it's not that she's not pretty or anything! Rather, she was actually very cute and energetic and-!"

Astie giggled. "Yeah, figures. You're a fuckin' mess. Hmm…". maybe that's what most girls like in guys: maybe the contrast between white knight and hot mess gets them."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself." Astie's smile faded away. "Listen, your friend and I have a deal. I bring his sister back, he helps me get my brother back." Leo nodded, saying nothing, so Astie continued. "He did it because he was aware of the feelings that neither you nor Mary knew about or acknowledged. Before anything else change that…well, she croaked."

"Sensitive way to put it." Leo remarked. Belatedly realizing his sarcasm, he slapped his hand over his mouth.

Astie shrugged. "Hey, it's the truth. But my point is, he did it with you in mind. Actually, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that part of the reason he did it was for you."

Leo said nothing.

"…don't let your brain rest on that for too long, buddy. You'll wanna start paying attention to what's happening around you." Astie said, picking up the flowers again. This time, she bundled them up into as condensed a bundle as she could make it before tossing it in the direction of the city.

The flower petals flew in an unnatural line, breaking away from the stems and the bodies of the flowers themselves, and began soaring in the direction of the yellow orbs. They flew and flew until they were out of Leo's sight, who decided that he wanted to know what was going on. Opening his true eyes, he saw the flowers emanating a soft white glow as they raced through the air. They began circling the orbs in the same way that petals and particles were revolving around him, whirling and spinning like a whirlpool. Off in the distance, he heard a massive explosion wrack the city. Shockwaves raced out through air and rippled through the ground, throwing him off balance and making the entire Ferris wheel shudder. The water made small waves that fought against the tide before calming into stillness once again. He could see a relatively small building slowly begin to topple to the side before crashing out of sight in a cloud of dust, debris, and smoke.

"Sheesh, Femt really knows how to go overboard. I'm gonna have to fiddle with his soul for a little bit later as punishment." Astie turned back to Leo, walked over to him and placed her hand on his forehead. "And as for you…well, good luck!"

In what felt like a nanosecond, Astie's entire air and personality seemed to change completely. Her eyes became incredibly focused and her light, somewhat playful, and coy tone had vanished into thin air; it was replaced with an intensity so palpable it came in layers that washed over Leo and silenced him the moment he sensed it. But with his true eyes, he could see what was happening now.

Her mouth was moving at a speed so quickly he could just barely tell it was speaking. It was as soft as a whisper, but he could hear it: Astie's voice. She was chanting something in another language again, and this time each syllable came one after the other incredibly quickly. Like she was reciting a sutra, she began creating bizarre symbols with her fingers and hands and drawing alien cyphers in the air. With every symbol she created and every symbol she drew, the energy that surrounded him began to increase rotating in speed and every particle's light grew in intensity.

"What the-?!" Leo began to feel his body hovering in the air at the center of the maelstrom. "What the hell is-?!"

A bright flash enveloped his vision, blinding him and forcing his eyes closed.

Silence. Leo's ass hit the car with a clang, denting it inward and making him let out a yelp.

"…well that was faster than I thought. Guess there was more of Mary's energy on you than I thought." Astie muttered, seemingly lost in thought now. Leo opened his eyes to find her scribbling in a notebook. "Perhaps I should try conducting this experiment on someone else…"

Leo looked down at the ground. The magic circle and the flowers were now gone. "…um, what just-"

"You humans are fascinating. You have symbolisms for everything, don't you?" Astie cut him off, still looking at her notebook. "I found the language of flowers the most interesting. Apparently, daffodils mean different things in different cultures to different people. It's incredible, really." She held up her palm; in it, one of the remaining flower petals was spinning by itself while hovering several centimeters above her hand. "To some cultures, it means creativity. To others, it means forgiveness. Yet others associate it with memories and still some others hope. But it's most widely accepted meaning is rebirth and a new beginning. That kind of stuff helps out with rituals like this. With the energy around you combined with all the daffodils, we ended up finishing the ritual easily within a few hours instead of the time I initially promised."

Astie closed her palm and then pointed to Leo's left. "Oh, by the way, I'm not catching her. Good luck with that."

Leo looked in the direction she was pointing at.

White was there.

In the air.

With nothing beneath her except several hundred feet of air.

His feet moved on their own. "White!" Without hesitation, he jumped off of the car and embraced her against his frame. Together, the two plunged far below towards the water.

* * *

"Hey, wake up!"

A stinging impact to the side of his face forced Leo's eyes open and his brain conscious. Reacting violently and with a louder-than-what-is-arguably-necessary scream, Leo scrambled to his feet in a defensive stance with his fists displayed in the direction of his offender. A few moments of breathing gave him the time to absorb where he was and what was happening. "A-Aligura?"

The Queen of Monomania was standing across from him, her hair matted across her face and her entire body dripping wet with water. A few inches from her feet was an unconscious White, who was in a similar state. Aligura just sighed and knocked her palm against her head, seemingly in an effort to get water out of her ears. "Sheesh, you're much more of a pain in the ass than I expected you to be, kid."

At that, he lowered his arms down to his sides and untensed. Leo, at a loss for words, took a few moments to begin registering everything before he looked around to see where he was.

The three were washed up at the pier near the amusement park; the lights of the Ferris wheel were casting their soft glow over the water and the creak and groan of the wooden planks of the pier were as concerning as they sounded. The quiet splashing of gentle waves as they met with the pier filled his ears alongside a very quiet whistle of wind.

The strangest thing of all was that it was so peaceful. All seemed quiet, almost disturbingly so. There were no shockwaves, no screaming people, no explosions, no nothing. It felt like everything had returned to normal once again. As if everything that had just ensued minutes prior had just never happened. At all. If it hadn't been for the distant sound of car alarms and the disquieted crowd, Leo felt he could have been convinced that time had been rewound.

"Uh…" Leo began, a boatload of questions still swimming around in his mind. He looked to Aligura, who was squeezing the water out of her hair and clothes and raised a hand to catch her attention. "Aligura? What happened?"

She sighed and shot Leo a cross glare, one that he couldn't really feel the impact of given that she had a mask covering her eyes. "Well, Astie called me and told me that the party ended earlier than she promised. She also told me to fish you two out of the water cuz you ended up being a dumbass and jumping in to protect her." She pointed with a finger at White, who was still unconscious. "Of course hitting the water from the top car of the Ferris wheel is gonna knock you out. You trying to get her killed right after she comes back, genius?"

Leo hung his head and sighed, to which Aligura just muttered a curse. "Ugh, don't act so sensitive. I'm just making sure you're in right condition so that Astie doesn't come here and bust my ass."

He considered asking why Astie was capable of scaring both Aligura and Femt so much, but he refrained out of hesitance; he didn't know if that was a trigger question, after all. He walked over to White and got on one knee, letting the palm of his hand hover a short distance away from her nostrils. "…she's breathing." He placed the back of his hand against her neck and nodded to himself in response. "…body temperature is fine…" Opening his true eyes revealed that her body was just like any other person's. Human, but with a cloak of yellow particles surrounding her; the sign that she had powers like that of her brother.

"…is this the girl that you mentioned before?"

Aligura's question caused Leo to panic somewhat; he scampered away, putting distance between him and Aligura again. "W-what?! What are you talk-?!"

"Y'know, that time you hitched a ride in my tank?" Aligura

Leo's panicked question was interrupted with Aligura shushing him. "Oh, shut up. That reaction's all I need to know! You're totally into her, you klutz! No wonder you white-knighted like a moron!"

Aligura then began walking away. "Just stick around until she wakes up, kid. I've got a honey to kidnap." She waved a hand in farewell as she walked. Leo sighed and smiled to himself somewhat before turning back to look at White, who was still unconscious. Against his better judgment, he reached out and brushed aside a lock of her hair.

"…welcome back, I guess…Mary."

* * *

"Sure you don't wanna go over there?" Astie asked Black. The two stood hidden behind a tent, out of view from Leo and the unconscious White. Her gaze was locked on the retreating, shrinking figure of Aligura who was skipping towards the city in excitement but her question was clearly directed at Black. "It's your dramatic reunion with your beloved sister. Shouldn't you get over there and embrace her or something?"

Black smiled and shook his head. "As much as I would like to…I think someone else deserves to see her first. Besides, I have to hold up my end of the deal. You're gonna get your brother out of me, right? Let's go."

Astie chuckled. Unlike her previous giggles, it was a wholesome and very real one. She patted Black on the head. "Alright, then, big boy. I'll make sure you get back real quick so you can get your family situation sorted out."

The woman closed her eyes and, after taking a moment, she reopened them. Her eyes gleamed red instead of her normal hazelnut brown when she opened them; raising her hand in front of her, Astie snapped her fingers. Instantly, a wormhole appeared in front of them reminiscent of black holes in science fiction. It twisted and pulled at the fabric of reality, making the world within 5 feet of the hole look like a crumpled blanket before it vanished into the darkness of the void.

"…you really can't see inside these things, huh?" Black remarked, peering inside the wormhole. "Kinda surprising. I kinda thought you would summon something more…I dunno, more flamboyant."

Astie said nothing in response, instead pointing back to Leo and White. "You sure you don't wanna say anything? We're gonna be gone for a while."

Black put one foot in the wormhole and then turned back to gaze at his sister and his best friend.

"…good luck."

Astie giggled. "To which one?"

Black shrugged. "To both of them."


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"As long as you're trying to take a single step towards the light, the human soul can never truly be defeated…huh?"

Leo reddened a little and nodded in reply. "…I believed that you could hear me at that time…that you weren't truly gone…so in the heat of the moment, I kind of…"

White smiled gently. "…you're truly strong, Leo. To be able to say something like that with such conviction and pull someone out from the jaws of death for just a few moments longer…I don't think I'd ever be able to do that."

The two of them haven't moved an inch after White had woken up. She had found herself with her head resting on Leo's lap and remained that way, Leo unable to bring himself to tell her to get up. The two shared that moment, still dripping wet with water as they were, without absorbing anything happening around them.

"…it's been a while since I got to see you." Leo started, stuttering a little on his way in. "Despite that, though, I can't really think of something to say."

"…it looks like you've been through a lot." White reached out with her hand and ran it over Leo's features; to him, it felt like an impossibly smooth hand was caressing his cheek, his chin, his jawline. "…you look a little more rugged compared to the last time I saw you. You look a little more mature, too. And also…" She reached out with her other hand and squeezed the second cheek. She began squishing his face together, mushing it like a mother would do the same to a baby. "…older. How long has it been?"

At that, Leo shook his head. "I couldn't tell you, to be honest. Every day's so hectic that I hardly keep track of what's happened. If you ask me what happened last week, I couldn't tell you."

White giggled and took her second hand off of his face, letting it rest on her chest. "Sounds like a lot of fun." Her smile faded somewhat, her remaining hand slowly drifting to Leo's eyes. Her fingers stopped at an inch before reaching his eyelids. "…do you still have those eyes?"

Leo nodded and opened them, letting blue light seep out from his eyes and outwards to create a surreal glow of cyan that showered White. "More or less, yeah. They've come close to breaking a time or two, but they're still around."

White's smile remained soft, her second hand returning to her chest. "…hey, Leo?"

"…what is it, White?"

"…to be honest, I think I've been watching you even after I faded away." White looked to the sky. "I don't think I can remember them well right now, but…" Her eyes squinted and her expression tightened, her hand pressed against her temples like she was having a headache. "…it's like a mirage. Moments of you fighting, sleeping, running…living. I feel like I can see memories like those but I can't really say for sure…"

Leo didn't feel the need to say anything affirming. Every now and again, he felt and saw a thing or two that told him someone else was watching. A passing wraith or a fleeting gaze. Something of the sort. He could see it, after all.

"…I don't think that sort of thing matters now. It's in the past. We're here, after all. You're here with me now. That's what matters."

"…I find it hard to believe that you're so shy and easily embarrassed but at certain times when the moment is right, you can say something like that…" White remarked, her cheeks flushing. She reached out with her hand and poked Leo's cheek. "Are you really the same person?"

"Uh, well…" Leo ended up blushing in reply. "…I guess so?"

White felt the top of her head suddenly vibrate, and she laughed while sitting up. "Hey, that tickles! What is that?"

Leo, feeling the vibration of his cell-phone in his pocket, immediately reached for it and pulled it out. "Oh, it must be Klaus!" he said, pulling it out and flipping open the lid to see the screen. True to this prediction, the name Klaus von Reinherz slowly panned across the screen from the right to the left side. The cellphone rumbled with an insistent vibration while an obnoxiously loud ringtone that sounded suspiciously like an 8-bit version of a Backstreet Boys song began playing through the single, bottom-firing speaker. He quickly pressed the button flickering with a bright neon-green light and brought the phone to his ear. "Y-yes?!"

"Leonardo! Are you unharmed? Aligura and Femt suddenly pulled out and there have been no casualties. We're helping out with the repairs to the damage to the city. Come back to the base so we can take stock of everyone's current state. If you have injuries, we've brought in some local doctors to look at you."

"So he says, Leo." A disembodied female voice suddenly came out of nowhere. Looking around startled, he saw a certain werewolf slowly fading into view. She was crouching on top of one of the lamp posts, looking away from Leo. "While it's improper for me to interrupt your little moment, I think it's best if we report back. Let me take you. It will be faster. It would seem that Zapp and the others have already left, so we'll have to make our way on foot."

"Chain?!" Leonardo, his entire face ruby red, got up to his feet and stood with his back rigid like a plank of freshly cut oak. "Y-yes, ma'am! Let's set out immediately!"

Chain dropped down, landing on the pier with naught a sound. She pointed without looking at White, trying not to meet her eyes out of embarrassment. "…should we take your girlfriend along? You know…to get her checked and stuff…"

"Um…" Leo glanced at White and, after a moment of incredibly awkward silence and averted gazes, nodded. "…yes, please."

* * *

 **The next day…**

Hellsalem's Lot is truly an interesting place. This is for a number of reasons. One reason might be because of the interesting range of individuals that were the furthest things from human. Another might be the exotic taste in food that the residents have. Yet another might be the interesting technology and abilities that are on display on a regular basis, and yet another could be the hectic chaos that now registers in everyone's minds as nothing but an everyday occurrence.

The most relevant reason at the moment, Leo thought as he looked out of the window of the office and out towards the scenery of the city, was that a good portion of the downtown buildings had been smashed into varying percentages of their former height and that all of the hospitals were filled to the brim with patients that were suffering varying extents of injury as a result of the rampage and chaos that had taken place yesterday. It was sunset already, marking the end of a long day that had been filled with nothing but repair support for the city.

Klaus, who was sitting at his desk and clicking away with his eyes locked on the screen, let out a grunt of frustration and bared his teeth. Leo took a step away from the disgruntled man, not wanting to be caught in the immediate vicinity lest he gets sent flying much like Zapp.

"Even playing that game of his, he can't get his mind off of the damage to the city, huh?" Leo turned at hearing Steven's remark. The tall man walked over to the desk and placed a hand on Klaus' shoulder. "Come on, Klaus. You're scaring Leo. Try and keep some of that stress inside, eh?" Steven glanced at the screen and whistled in response. "Oh, I haven't seen a game this one-sided since-"

Klaus promptly pressed a key on the keyboard that exited the program and sat up from his table. "…I'll be going to speak with Patrick and Neyka over the supplies needed to help fix up the hotel on 35th Street." With a huff, he stormed out of the room without another word.

"Damn, even the boss is getting worked up," Zapp remarked with a grin, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "You don't get to see that often."

"Well, he's upset that whatever appeared that caused the energy ruckus around Hellsalem's Lot disappeared. The thing that was stronger than a typical Blood Breed that wasn't bothering with hiding itself?" Gilbert said as he took Klaus' empty teacup and placed it onto a tray. "He feels responsible for not taking more initiative to capture it."

"That girl, you mean?" Chain said, fading into view. She was on top of Zapp's head, sipping her own cup of tea. "She certainly was something else. I have no idea how she managed to knock me out but it's definitely not something I've encountered in all of my time with Libra."

"That girl? It was a chick?" Zapp attempted to swat Chain's legs off of his head, failing miserably as his hand simply phased through her legs. "The hell? Did you go easy on her? If I were there-!"

"If you were there, you wouldn't have been able to do anything." Leo cut him off nonchalantly, placing his own empty teacup on the tray Gilbert was holding out. "She's literally capable of bringing back the dead, so I wouldn't advise it. I'm pretty sure that's the domain of God."

"To hell with that! If God exists, he'd give me another couple dollar bills to splurge on KFC!" Zapp muttered, letting out a puff of cigarette smoke and attempting to skewer Chain's feet with his blood-trident in futility. "I'd probably be able to beat her in one shot, no problem!"

"Before you defeat God, how about you hit Chain's legs once?"

"What was that, you little pipsqueak?!"

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. It was a very light knock, one that wasn't normally heard around Libra's office. Leo already knew how everyone knocked and how those knocks sounded so he could tell. Gilbert, placing the tray down on the table, walked over to the door and opened it by a hair. "…master Leonardo. It would seem you have visitors."

"Leo! Are you in there?!"

 _Oh, it's White._ Leo thought. "Hang on, White! I'll be right there! I'm almost done for toda-!"

As Gilbert opened the door further to allow White to enter, Leo realized that she wasn't alone. Another familiar face was standing behind her, one with a lollipop in her mouth and a carefree smile on her face. "Hi, Leo~ It's been about 24 hours? William was right, you really do know how to roll with the punches!"

"Astie!" Leo exclaimed in surprise, his jaw wide open. "You're still here?!"

Astie nodded and skipped into the room, humming a pleasant tune to herself that sounded suspiciously like 'It's a Small World'. Unlike before, she was now wearing much more boyish clothing; decked out in a pair of blue Levi's jeans and a simple but somewhat tight-looking v-neck tee coupled with a ponytail, Astie was rocking a much more approachable and comfy look compared to before. Her weird goggles-like contraption was sitting on her head and she was wearing dark brown gloves which seemed to be covered in some liquid Leo didn't dare ask about. It was thick and looked to be coagulating, so he had a good idea of what it really was despite its cyan color. "Yeah, I came back, baby!"

"It's you." Chain muttered, some tension in her voice. "What did you come here for?"

Astie simply raised her two hands up in a gesture of surrender, though her words were sarcastic. "Oh, what a scary look!" She put her hands down and rested them on her waist, and she winked at the werewolf. "No worries, hun. I'm not here to knock you out again or cause any trouble."

"Th-this is the girl?!" Zapp's eyes widened. "Oh come on, you werewolf woman! There's no way you lost to this chi-!" Right before he continued, he felt his mouth slam shut of its own accord. Unable to speak any further because of an uncooperative jaw, he started trying to pry open his lips with his hands to no avail.

Astie just sighed, twirling her hands like she was drawing something in midair with her pointer finger directed at Zapp. "Such a vulgar and rude man. Do you have to deal with this guy all day?"

"Why are you back, Astie?" Leo asked again, this time calmer. "I thought you'd already gone."

"Leo." White appeared from behind Astie. "You've got the wrong idea. She came back for me."

"Precisely." Astie patted White on the head. "This girl is probably the first person I've ever brought back in such a complete state, but she still had some things that needed to be worked out what with her soul being scattered over a big dome-field that spans several thousands of square feet. After I came back, I found her and convinced her to let me work on her for a little bit."

"Uhuh." Leo nodded and glanced at White, who just nodded with a look that said 'just go with the flow'. "So…is White good now?"

"Not exactly. Bringing her back together was easier than checking if she's intact and healthy. Doing the latter takes more time, so I'm not exactly done. I would have been done given more time but White said she had something to do today, so I let her off the hook."

"Something to do?"

White gave Leo an offended look. "…you didn't forget, did you? You said you were gonna take me out to the movies later tonight. And treat me to dinner."

"No, yes! I remember inviting you out to a date!" Leo said, standing up at attention out of fear.

White just sighed and hung her head. "…don't look so afraid, it's not like I'm gonna bite. Besides…" Her voice softened and she averted her gaze. "…don't just say that so loudly."

Leo realized what she meant, his cheeks reddening. "…s-sorry…"

"Ugh, get a room." Zapp's groaning turned to a yelp of surprise when he realized that he could speak again before turning into a scream as he quickly got off the couch just in time for a skeletal hand to miss and slam into the spot he was just resting on. The sound of wood cracking split the air. "Hey, what was that for, bitch?!"

"You really like to get on people's nerves. There's no way you're not doing this on purpose." Astie glanced at White. "Sorry to interrupt your lovey-dovey moment but can I kill this guy and use his soul as fuel for my transmogrification machine back at my workshop?"

White just giggled and shook her head. "I don't mind, personally, but I don't think it's a good idea. They probably keep him around for a good reason if he's been around for this long. A good enough reason to overlook his personality, I mean."

"What the hell?! Why is everyone bullying me today?!"

"Leonardo." Steven said, smiling and patting him on the shoulder. "You should probably get going. The rest of us can take it from here, so you go ahead and enjoy your date."

"Um…okay, thank you very much." Leo, deciding not to protest any further, bowed his head and then walked over to White. "Let's go, then?" She nodded. Leo glanced at Astie and smiled a very sincere smile. "Thanks, Astie. I mean it."

Astie just tittered and waved them a goodbye as the two sheepishly exited the door. As the door closed, Astie turned around to face Gilbert. "If you'll excuse me, ladies and gents, I only came to see off White. Toodle-oo~!" With a snap of her finger, Astie suddenly fell through a portal that manifested right underneath her and disappeared. In that instant, she was gone.

"…why do I get the feeling this isn't the last we'll see of that bitch?" Zapp muttered, throwing away his cigarette and sitting back in the spot that had just been slammed by Astie. His weight, combined with the damage to the chair, caused the entire thing to buckle under his weight and slam to the ground.

"Fucking hell!" was the least profane of the string of curses that left his mouth before Chain kicked it shut again.

* * *

"How's Black doing?"

White just sighed, not something Leo was able to hear or notice since the two were on his personal scooter. "He's doing okay. I saw him with Astie and he was shaky but otherwise okay. He's searching for a new place to stay because he thinks I shouldn't sleep in the back of the restaurant with him."

"Well…I don't think I would want that for you either." Leo said, swerving to the right as a massive truck manned by a one-armed triclops honked loudly before pushing forward on his lane. "To be honest, I've also been wondering that all day. You guys don't exactly have a place to go, right?"

"…well, thanks to someone's secret organization, the old apartment we used to stay in before I got admitted to the hospital is now completely wrecked."

"I'm sorry."

White just chuckled, tightening her grip on Leo's waist. "It's fine, it wasn't your fault. If anything, it's that Aligura I've heard about that caused most of the damage to the city. Wasn't she captured?"

"No." Leo shook his head before veering a hard right at an intersection. Both of them ducked their heads as sputum from some unknown source flew the air at what felt like terminal velocity. Despite the chaos, both of them continued the conversation as though nothing was out of order. "No one can really catch Aligura. Her and Femt have been really slippery ever since they were first known to the public. I guess members of the 13 Kings really are something else."

"She deserves to get locked up for breaking my old apartment. And filling up the hospital with so many injured people that I can't even get my old room back if I wanted to." White groaned and slumped into Leo's back. "Isn't there some other solution?"

' _How about my place?'_ was what nearly left Leo's lips but he halted the words before they were said. As much as he admitted to liking White, he wasn't quite mentally or emotionally prepared for a living arrangement like that yet. _Guess I'll have to save up._

"Oh, we're here," Leo said as the two screeched to a halt in front of the Hellsalem's Lot official move theater. The sound of burning rubber certainly earned a few glares from some inhuman passersby, to which Leo had an apologetic grin to flash before taking off his helmet and placing his goggles' eyepieces on his forehead.

White quickly got off and placed her own helmet on one of the handles of the scooters. "Hey, listen…you don't have to treat me, you know. It's not like I'm totally broke."

"If this is about the money Black gave you, then forget it. You should hang on to it." Leo said, flashing a thumbs-up. "Just let me take care of it. I've been saving a lot of money on the side so this isn't really any trouble."

"But still…" White looked at him with a somewhat guilty expression.

"I said not to worry about it. Come on, we haven't even picked a movie to watch yet." Leo pointed at the signs and posters. "This is the first time this cinema's had so many movies showing at once! They recently upgraded the sound systems and I heard they sound great!"

White just sighed and shrugged. _I guess I won't have to worry about it, then._ She thought to herself. She walked up to Leo and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"What is it, Whi-?!"

Soft. Warm. Sweet. A somewhat moist and pleasant sensation. The proximity of two noses barely touching one another. The faint flowery fragrance of shampoo. Leo could tell it was the scent of daffodils. His mouth assailed by a new feeling that cut his words off before they could finish being spoken.

White drew her face away from a startled Leo whose face had turned so red it reminded of a dartboard's bullseye. "That's the payment I'll give you for today, Leo." She said with red cheeks and a happy smile. "And start calling me Mary, already!" she said, flicking his forehead with her fingers.

"Um…sure…Mary." Leo barely managed to get the words out from his mouth, so lost for words and stunned he was. White just sighed and grabbed him by the hand, leading him to the register to buy the tickets.

For the rest of that day, the faint tingling sensation on his lips was the only thing on his mind. He couldn't remember what movie he watched if his life depended on it and dinner didn't taste nearly as sweet.

… _if she's got nowhere to go, maybe living together could work._

… _just for a little while?_


End file.
